Beyond Rivalry
by Ephemeral Solitude
Summary: Sometimes your worst enemy can be your best friend. Pairings: Kakashi X Kurenai, Yamato X Yugao, Kenji (OC) X Yumiko (OC)
1. Wedding Jitters

**Title: Beyond Rivalry  
Chapter 1: Wedding Jitters  
Pairing: Kakashi X Kurenai**

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_**A.N. Okay, first things first. Things I need to clarify about this fanfic:**_

_**This story covers KakaKure and YugaYama's married life and parenthood. **_

_**Hatake Kenji is Kakashi and Kurenai's son, while Uzuki Yumiko is Yamato and Yugao's daughter. **_

_**The story is set after the war. The scenario is more peaceful. Kakashi is the Hokage.**_

_**Jiraiya is alive. JiraTsuna might be possible. ;)**_

_**Neji is also alive.-Just coz I love him 3 haha**_

_**Asuma Sarutobi is dead. :P **_

_**Kurenai and Asuma's daughter, Mirai Sarutobi is already 3 years old in this fic.**_

_**Kakashi and Kurenai are 33 years old already.**_

_**Boruto, Himawari, Sarada, etc.(the kids of Naruto's generation)aren't existing yet. This kinda covers the part after the war and before The Last: Naruto the Movie. **_

_**Kakashi has both sharingan in his eyes.**_

* * *

Every festivity requires a planned preparation. It was around noon and almost everyone was busy, dressing up, putting on their best, colorful kimono, beautifying the venue of the ceremony, adding flowers here and there, putting up drapes with delicate details.

In one room, a beautiful crimson-eyed bride was getting her hair and makeup done by four kunoichi who have been very dear to her heart, one of which was her very own student, Hyuga Hinata who worked with her hair, styling it with her delicate fingers, braiding it, pinning up some strands while Sakura and TenTen put red Yarrow flowers (which Ino recommended, saying that it symbolized everlasting love) in her jet-black hair. Ino on the other hand, gave her light makeup, putting the last touch, a shiny lip gloss to emphasize her already red lips. Ino figured that Kurenai was already beautiful and that she didn't need to put on too much make up on her face. She only needed light make up to emphasize her already beautiful features. After her hair and makeup were already styled beautifully, the four girls helped their sensei into her 'wedding dress' which was actually a red Japanese kimono that had delicate hand-made embroidery of red yarrow flowers. It was long and flowed down the floor beautifully. It hugged her figure perfectly and had a long slit by her right leg, having that sexy touch to it.

As soon as the beautiful bride got into her sandals that matched her kimono, she bit her lips and blushed as she looked at the girls for approval. They all gazed at her in awe and smiled before they squealed excitedly.

"You look so beautiful, Sensei." Hinata complimented with a smile on her face.

"Hell yeah! You look so gorgeous, you'd drive Kakashi sensei crazy." Sakura added, making Kurenai blush a deeper shade of red.

"I definitely agree with Sakura, you look so perfect, he'd faint." Ino remarked as she smirked. Tenten nodded in agreement as she led Kurenai to the full-length mirror that was in the room.

"I think you should see for yourself." Tenten said as she let Kurenai stand in front of the mirror to see her reflection. Kurenai gazed at herself for amoment. Her hair was braided in a waterfall braid and tied up to a neat bun, with yarrow flowers pinned to it like a little bouquet assembled to her hair. Her makeup was done lightly by Ino, light pink blush-on was applied to her cheeks. She had eyeliner on to emphasize her gorgeous eyes. Her eye-shadow was light unlike the purple one's that she used to apply on herself on daily basis. She looked fresh, young and simply beautiful. Her eyes started to get a bit, watery because she was so happy.

"Woah, there. No crying. The eyeliner is water-proof but still, we have to be careful." Ino said in panic as she handed Kurenai a box of tissue. Kurenai held back the tears as she pulled the four girls into a group hug.

"I'm so happy. Thank you so much. I feel really beautiful." She said.

"You were already beautiful, sensei. We just enhanced your beauty for your special day." Hinata replied with a sincere smile.

"He'd be really happy up there, seeing you smiling again, down here. I'm really happy for you, sensei." Ino added with a smile as she reminisced about those days Kurenai spent with her and the rest of team ten, during those times when she was with their late, teacher, Sarutobi Asuma. Kurenai gave Ino a pat on the back. She knew Ino missed him. Asuma was a great guy. It was a shame he died, but Kurenai figured that things happen for a reason. When Asuma died, she didn't know what to do. It hurt her so much, but she had to be strong, because at that time, she was having a baby. It was a real struggle for her, but through all that, she found him.-Kakashi, who seemed to be the one who truly understood the pain she went through and loved not only her, but her daughter Mirai, as well.

Just then, the door opened, revealing a small version of Kurenai. -A young girl, about the age of three, with jet-black hair and crimson eyes almost identical to hers. She was in a pink, smaller version of Kurenai's Kimono dress. It had the same pattern of embroidered Yarrow floweres, but it didn't have a slit since it was especially made for children, her age.

"'Kaasan!" The girl said as she leaped into Kurenai's arms.

"Hello there, young lady. Where have you been?" Kurenai asked giggling.

"I went to see my chichue in the other room." Mirai replied. "You look so beautiful, mommy. Will I have my hair done like yours too?"

Kurenai smiled, before she bent down to give her daughter a kiss on the cheek.

"You behave and sit over there while Hinata-neechan and Ino-neechan does your hair and makeup, okay?" Kurenai coaxed and the little girl nodded in obedience as she hopped into a chair as Hinata and Ino started working on her.

Hinata braided her long hair into a neat french braid. After which, she pinned pink little Daisy pins to her hair. Ino did the child's make up as well, making sure it was light since Mirai was only a kid and she wanted to maintain the child-like, innocent look on her face.

After the Kurenai and Mirai were done, Ino went to check on the venue and the flower arrangement. Sakura came to help her as well. Kurenai couldn't help but become grateful to everyone who was exerting effort to make her special day perfect.

* * *

In the room next to the bride's was the groom, who had been doing some _'grooming' _himself. He combed his spiky, silver hair as his student and best man, Naruto straightened his blue Kimono that had a hand-embroidered dragon on it. After doing so, he added the final touch to the kimono, pinning three yarrow flowers to it. The young shinobi held two thumbs up at him as he winked.

"Looking good, Sensei. She'll go head over heels for you for sure.-ttebayo!" Naruto complimented excitedly as the Sixth hokage paced back and forth inside the room in panic.

"Could you stop that?! It's making you look less cool." Sasuke hissed at his sensei as he sat on the corner, looking bored with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Lighten up, Sasuke. It's a wonderful day today. Could you at least act a little happy for once?!" Naruto complained as he eyed at his melancholic best friend.

"What if she changes her mind or something?" Kakashi asked nervously as he sat on a chair and breathed heavily.

"It says here in a book that marriages tend to be postponed or cancelled because of confusion. It's either the bride runs away or the groom doesn't come." Sai said as he read one of his stupid books out loud. Sasuke could only face palm.

"Seriously, this is the guy you guys tried to replace me with?! Come on?" Sasuke said as he snickered.

Just then things started to go more out of hand when the door opened revealing Maito Gai with Lee and Neji by the door. Neji had a poker face on as he tried to tolerate the other two. Lee sprinkled flowers all over the place as he skipped merrily inside Kakashi's room.

Gai went to hand Kakashi a bouquet of flowers.

"Congratulations, Eternal Rival! Your flames of youth are burning with love!" He said as he handed the flowers to Kakashi who accepted them hesitantly.

"Uhm… Thanks I guess…" Kakashi said nervously.

"A bunch of idiots…" Sasuke muttered under his breath.

"I agree…" Shino said as he sat beside him.

Just then, Shikamaru came with Chouji and Kiba to congratulate him as well.

"Woah there. You've got the groom's place all girl-ed up!" Kiba laughed as he entered.

"Talk to these two over here. It's their entire fault." Neji sighed as he massaged his temples as he sat beside Shino.

Kakashi simply scratched his head sheepishly. His place got a bit chaotic with all the boys who just entered, making it harder for him to think clearly.

"If you want to look real good you've got to take off the mask, Sensei." Kiba remarked as he put an arm around Kakashi's shoulder. "-And relax. She wouldn't run away from the wedding."

Kakashi chuckled as he gave Kurenai's student a pat on the back. For so many years, Kiba along with Hinata and Shino have been looking out for Kurenai. It took a lot of steps for him to gain their trust. The three students of team 8, were very protective over her. It made Kakashi feel glad that finally they have begun to loosen up to him.

"Yo, Sensei! I agree with Kiba. Lose the mask. How's the photographer gonna take good pictures of you?" Naruto persuaded since he found it pretty pathetic that his teacher is planning to wear his stupid mask on the most important day of his life.

Kakashi thought for awhile. He always wears the mask. He had been wearing it ever since he was a child. To him the mask was like a security blanket, one he'd wear to obscure his emotions from enemies during missions. It was hard to let go of it. But on his wedding day, he was no shinobi. He is Kurenai's husband-to-be. There was no need to hide anything from her. It was about time that he'd learn to trust the people around him, especially her whom he'd be sharing his whole life with. He slowly pulled down his navy-blue mask and placed it inside his luggage, taking his student's advice.

It took a while until Yamato came in with a smile on his face as he called for the groom, his best friend and former captain back when both he and Kakashi were in part of the ANBU black ops.

"Everything's all set!" He said. "Entourage is about to start!"

With that said the people in the room were lessened as the others went to the venue and only the ones left in the room were those who were part of the entourage and the groom.

* * *

A nice soft Japanese traditional wedding music played as the participants of the wedding entourage entered one by one. First to enter was the groom's best man, Naruto, followed by Kakashi, who had his knees shaking with every step he took. It was unusual for him to feel nervous considering how composed he is during battles. It was truly mysterious how love can change anyone, including him.

His heart beat fast with every step he took. It was a good thing that his shaky hands were being obscured by the long sleeves of his kimono, otherwise it would be so uncool to look at in the wedding video also, there were a lot of important people in the venue watching. His predecessor, Tsunade Senju was already in front of the aisle as the officiant of the wedding. The hokage were usually the ones assigned to officiate weddings in Konoha. In Kakashi's case, since he is the current hokage, the precedent is the one in charge of the rites.

He kept a nervous smile on his face as soon as he reached the right edge of the aisle where he stood, watching the bride's maids and grooms men in pairs as they walked, waiting for his lovely bride to come. He tried to keep his breathing steady with every pair that came in, Yamato with Yugao, Iruka with Anko, Gai with Shizune, Sasuke with Sakura, Sai with Ino, Neji with Tenten, Shikamaru with Temari, Chouji with Karui, as he counted down to the moment he has been waiting for. Kakashi noticed that on that day, love truly was in the air. It made him happy that just like him, the others have found their only one.

As soon as Hinata, the maid of honor, came entering, Kakashi turned to look at Naruto with a 'knowing' look on his face. He chuckled to himself as soon as he noticed how giddy his student was at the sight of the Hyuuga princess. When Hinata got to her place, Kakashi felt excited and nervous at the same time. It was the moment he had been waiting for and he just couldn't stand still as he painstakingly waited for his bride to arrive.

Kurenai kept a sweet, bright smile on her face as she entered with Mirai escorting her as she walked down the aisle. Traditionally, it is the father of the bride that does the ushering, but since Kurenai had lost her father in the war long ago and that the one whom Kakashi had to get approval from was actually Mirai, they decided that it would be alright that she'd do the ushering instead. Mirai loved the idea and immediately agreed to it. She held her mother's shaky hand and gave her a smile as she looked up at her. Together they slowly and gracefully walked down the aisle. Kurenai felt her heart beat against her chest as she saw her husband-to-be waiting for her with a smile on his face that she could clearly see since he didn't wear the mask at that moment. She let out a soft sigh as she and her daughter finally made it at the end of the aisle, in front of the altar, relieved that she had managed to walk without tripping on her shaky legs. Mirai smiled as she placed her mother's hand on Kakashi's. She beamed brightly at him, giving him her approval.

"She's all yours." She said giggling. Kakashi smiled at her as he bent down to her height and reached for her small, soft hand, planting a soft, gentle kiss on it.

"Thank you, princess…" He told her. The guest couldn't help but sigh and react at the cute gesture. Mirai couldn't help but blush, feeling shy about the attention given to her. Kurenai gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek, before letting her walk gracefully to her seat.

Mirai watched excitedly as Kakashi took Kurenai's hand in his and helped her get up the platform since it was a bit difficult for her with her kimono dress so long. The two took their seat in front of the altar as the rites were done.

As soon as it was time for their vows to be said, Kakashi and Kurenai faced each other. He looked into her eyes and held her hand. He took a deep breath before he started,

"For the years that I've spent my life as a shinobi of the leaf, I have experienced so much pain as everyone I loved were taken away from me. My heart grew cold as I watched them die and failed to protect them.-Chichue, Obito, Rin, and Sensei… I have been sad for so long that I never thought I'd be happy again. I was afraid of losing more people I loved, so I pushed everyone away, including you who cared about me. You were one of the people who pursued to have me become a jonin sensei and let go of the cold, dark life of an ANBU. Despite how cold and heartless others saw me, you became one of the few who saw the kindness inside me. You loved me, flaws and all. You made me see how bright this world can be though often it may seem so pitch-black. I have done so many mistakes and I have a lot of regrets. I have failed to protect a lot of people I loved, but this time I won't. I'll get it right this time… I'll protect you and Mirai with my life… I am not perfect. There may be times that you wouldn't be able to stand me. There will be tough times, but I promise I will love you for the rest of my life and do whatever it takes to make you happy. "

Kurenai saw the sincerity in Kakashi's eyes as he spoke his vows. She looked into his onyx orbs, lost in it as she listened to his words of love. ( A.N. I find this really cheesy. Hahaha Sorry for that…)

"That's just really lovely…" Sakura sighed dreamily as she thought of her own wedding day with Sasuke.

"I know right…"Ino agreed sighing as well as her thoughts drifted to her boyfriend, Sai.

Hinata on the other hand, kept silent on her seat and blushed as she imagined her own wedding day with Naruto.

"I freaking need a drink. Ugh…" The lovely Fifth Mizukage, Terumi Mei muttered in her seat as she rolled her eyes in bitterness, feeling really envious over the sight before her. She couldn't help but feel bad that she was almost forty years old and still no one dared to court her. She feared of growing old single and felt a bit pressured seeing her fellow Kage get married.

As soon as Kakashi finished saying his vows, Kurenai had her turn. She took a few moments to stare at his face before she let her feelings out as she spoke.

"You came into my life, unexpected. Back then, I had everything about my life planned out and every plan I made had Asuma in it. When he died, I was lost. I didn't know which path to take. The world seemed so dark to me. I was afraid for Mirai and myself. I didn't know what to do, but you came. In darkness, I found you. You became my light, Kakashi. Through all those times I felt so lonely, you stood by my side and understood me. You took care of Mirai and me. You loved not only me, but Mirai as well. You have so much kindness in your heart than what you thought you had and I want to be by your side to keep reminding you of that. I want you to be the one I'd first see when I wake up in the morning and the last, before I go to bed. You may have not been my first love, but I promise you'd be my last."

'_You may have not been my first love, but I promise you'd be my last.' _Her words replayed like music in his ears.

As soon as the two have finished saying their vows, Tsunade proceeded with the rites.

"Do you Hatake Kakashi, take Yuhi Kurenai to be your lawfully wedded wife, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?" Tsunade asked as she turned to the groom who answered with an immediate and sure, "I do." She then turned to the bride to ask,

"Do you Yuhi Kurenai, take Hatake Kakashi to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?" which Kurenai answered with a confident I do, since she was very much sure that he was the person she would like to spend the rest of her life with. Upon having heard their response, Tsunade had them signed a few papers and finally proclaimed them husband and wife.

The couple blushed a deep shade of crimson as soon as they heard the words, "You may now kiss the bride." Kakashi went even more nervous at the thought of kissing Kurenai in front of so many people. It wasn't that he was ashamed of kissing her. Kurenai knew Kakashi loved her so much and that he just wasn't the showy type and she understood very well. He preferred to keep their skinships private.

Despite the finding the situation quite nerve-racking, Kakashi gathered all his courage. He painstakingly and slowly leaned forward to brush his lips gently against hers in a chaste, passionate kiss, finally sealing themselves in a lifetime commitment.

* * *

_**A.N. Hi guys! New story here and I hope you like it. Since this is post-war fanfic, expect the scenario to be more peaceful. Haha.**_

_**I hope you liked the wedding. I hope it isn't rushed or corny, especially the vows part. I find it kinda cheesy and disturbing. XD hahaha I actually had a hard time writing the vows of the couple since I'm single and forever alone… Hahaha LOL**_

_**Anyway, there are lots of mushy, fluffy stuff to come.**_

_**Slight Spoiler (Since Christmas is coming soon and I wanted to be generous haha): Chapter two will cover the reception. ;) There might be a Yamato X Yugao moment there as well.**_

_**You guys might be wondering about the title. You'll find out as the story progresses. :D **_

_**With love,**_

_**~Kei-chan**_


	2. Reception, Cruise and a Bride's Blues

**Title: Beyond Rivalry  
Chapter 2: Reception, Cruise and a Bride's Blues  
Pairing: KakaKure and YugaYama**

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After the wedding ceremony, a reception was held in an elegant function room in Kasai, a five-star hotel located near the shore border of the Land of Fire. Dinner was served to the guests as the celebration and program proceeded. After dinner, a toast for the newly wedded couple was done, wherein the people who were very close to them got to say their messages.

Among Kakashi's students, the first to deliver her speech was Sakura, the only girl in his team. She seemed to be really confident and prepared as she stood in front of where the bride and groom were seated. She had a glass of sparkling wine in her right hand while she held a microphone on her left.

"First of all, I would like to say, congratulations to you, Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei." Sakura started as she turned to Kakashi and Kurenai before she continued."Good evening, everyone! As you all know, I'm one of the groom's students. I've known Kakashi-sensei for a lot of years and I never expected him to be where he is today."

With her sudden confession, the guests went laughing. Kakashi blushed as he sat beside Kurenai who giggled.

"Really? How so?" Kakashi asked curiously as he let out a nervous chuckle.

"Well, among all of your students, I was the most eager one to get you a girlfriend. Remember all those times I bugged you about your love life and tried to set you up with some girls but you just didn't seem so interested so I almost gave up. You seemed to care more about your books than women so…" Sakura explained and the guests went laughing again, making Kakashi feel a bit embarrassed.

"It was good literature!" Kakashi defended and Kurenai glared at him.

"That's hella right!" Jiraiya who was already drunk, said out loud earning quite an amount of attention as he stood up and gave the groom two-thumbs up. His date for the night, the Senju princess and the groom's predecessor, Tsunade eventually hit him in the gut quite violently causing him to yelp and sit down.

"Should I consider getting a divorce right now, Mr. Hatake?" Kurenai threatened jokingly, making Kakashi laugh as he held her hand protectively.

"Anyway, you just didn't seem like the type to care much. Other than that you were much too focused in work so there came a point that I thought you'd end up growing old single." Sakura added. She was about to continue on with her speech when the fifth Mizukage stood up with an unpleasant expression on her face. Her cheeks were already red due to the alcohol intake.

"You have a problem with single, old people huh?!" She asked, before hiccupping, her tone slightly rising.

"Now, now, Lady Mei, I'm sure Sakura didn't mean anything…" Kakashi said as he stood up from his seat, trying to calm his fellow Kage down.

"Lady Mei, let's not cause a commotion, shall we?" Ao said as he pulled the enraged Mizukage down to sit. The drunken, Mizukage sat, sulking with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Well, umm… Of all your students, I was always the excited one when there are certain things happening that involved your love life. I was pretty young and quite naïve too.- Well, you know how teenage girls are about love and such. Haha. I'm really happy that you finally found someone who will make you happy. You deserve it. You took care of us.-Naruto, Sasuke, Sai and me. I know it was hard to take care of us, especially back when we were younger, but you did. I'm happy that you'll finally have someone to take care of you. I know, Kurenai –sensei will be an excellent wife to you and I wish you both all the best in life. I hope that you, Kakashi-sensei, will be a good husband to Kurenai-sensei and a good father to Mirai-chan and all the kids you guys are going to have. And one last thing, before I end this message, I'm kinda hoping that you'll stop reading those books… hahaha…." Sakura ended, making the guests laugh, upon how she had exposed Kakashi's weird antics.

"The books are quite hard to give up, but I'll try…" Kakashi promised as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Stop reading my books? Oi, Tsunade, you better talk to your apprentice. I don't like how she's insulting my 'Icha-Icha Series.'" Jiraiya complained, causing Tsunade to react violently once more as she hit his stomach using her elbow.

As soon as Sakura finished her speech, she handed the microphone to her boyfriend and fellow teammate, Sasuke who refused at first, but was persuaded my Naruto, anyway.

Sasuke stood awkwardly in front of the guests. Unlike Sakura, he had no idea what to do. Sasuke had always been the silent type, after all. He looked at Kakashi for a moment. Hesitation could be early seen in his expression. Kakashi and Kurena gave him an encouraging smile, signaling him to go on with what he wanted to say. He took a deep breath before he spoke.

"Umm… Hi. If you all could remember I was one of Kakashi's… Uh… Kakashi-sensei's students." He began. Kakashi noted Sasuke's use of past tense. He also noticed how uncomfortable he was when he addressed him. "Of all his students, I'm probably the one he's the most disappointed at. If we were his children, I'd definitely be the prodigal son."

The Uchiha boy let out a remorseful chuckle before he continued, "I'm not really good at speaking and I definitely hate being mushy, but I guess… I'll try to make this speech thing memorable for you. This is the least I could do to make it up to you… I never got to say thank you to you, sensei. You were the one who helped me sharpen my skills and gift of the Sharingan when no one else was there to guide me. You taught me about how loyalty to comrades mattered, but I never valued that. You believed in me, but I was selfish and let anger take over me. I failed you and for that I'm sorry. When I came back, I never expected you to forgive me, but you did. Like Sakura, I'm happy you found someone for you. I wish you all the best in your career as this village's hokage and in your duty as Kurenai-san's husband and Mirai's stepfather. I guess you know all the rest… So that's all…"

Kakashi felt relieved that Sasuke had begun to express himself easily. Kurenai smiled, happy that her husband's student didn't totally lose his way.

After what had happened in the past, Sasuke found it hard to socialize with the people of the leaf. He knew they'd be judging him after all the troubles he had caused. It was hard for Kakashi to convince him to attend the wedding, but since Naruto ans Sakura were both very persuasive, he came.

Other than the fact that Kakashi wanted all of his students to be present on that special day, he also wanted for Sasuke to restore his bonds with the people. He figured that the festivity would help Sasuke, in a way.

As soon as Sasuke ended, he handed the microphone to Sai who smiled and scratched his head sheepishly.

"I'll keep this short, I guess. Kakashi-sensei was one of the people who believed in me. I wasn't originally a member of his team, but he treated me just like how he treated those who have been his students for a long time. For that, I will forever be grateful to you. For this day, I wish all the happiness for you and your bride. I've read in a book that as time passes a married couple gets tired of each other eventually and loses interest in each other. They say these are the things that usually cause separation and the like. I certainly hope it doesn't happen to you, well I guess I wouldn't since you seem to fall deeper for Kurenai-san as time passes. Oh and I remember Ino-chan telling me that true love is something that reigns forever. Something like, it is true love when you don't get tired of the person you're with and instead love him or her even more when you spend more time together… I don't remember the exact words but it's something like that… Ehehe… I don't really know much about this romantic stuff… I'm sure Ino-chan knows better, right? Hahaha… That's all…" Sai said. Ino couldn't help but laugh at her boyfriend, everyone else did since so far, his speech was less serious compared to Sasuke's . Sai had been having a hard time figuring out things he needed to know about emotions. It was a common problem for those who have been in the Root Division for so long. Sai who had been under Danzo, who run the ANBU of the Root Division had to repress his emotions ever since he was a kid which caused him to have difficulties when it comes to his feelings. These difficulties caused him to resort to instructional books.

"He never stopped reading those instructional books…" Kakashi remarked, laughing.

"Well, you're one of those to blame since you did gave him a couple of those…" Kurenai reminded.

Among Kakashi's students the last to say his message was Naruto, who was giddy and excited about everything. Naruto, of course had always been supportive of his sensei.

"Yo, Sensei."Naruto greeted informally as he winked at him, raising a glass of sparkling wine at him. "I just want to say, I've been with a lot of mentors. I've been with Ero-sennin, Yamato-taicho, Octopops and all… But you… You will always have a special place in my heart. Hahaha It's a pretty mushy, cliché thing to say, but it is true.-ttebayo. You weren't just a mentor to me. You became my parent in the absence of my mom and dad. You're the one who taught me about how in the shinobi world, those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are even worse. I believe that believing in your words were one of the reasons why I am driven to strive hard to be a strong shinobi and for that, I will forever be grateful to you. I'm sure your dad and your old team would've been watching you from up there. If mom and dad would've been here, they'd be really happy for you, just like how I am happy for you, sensei. I'm sure my dad, your sensei, would be really happy to see how his student, my sensei has become. I'm really happy for you and Kurenai-sensei. I hope you take care of the family that you're going to have and I hope you guys will have a child soon cause he or she will be my student one day and I promise to teach him or her well.-ttebayo! Hahaha…"

Of all of Kakashi's students, Naruto was the most natural and carefree. Naruto just says everything that comes first to his mind and often comes out sincere, though at times it may cost trouble.

Kakashi and Kurenai's cheeks turned a deep shade of red at the thought of having kids, considering that they haven't even gone _that _far in their two years of relationship.

After Naruto's turn, the grace under pressure, Hinata came to give her wishes for the newly wed. Naruto gave his lovely girlfriend an encouraging smile before she went to give her message. The young kunoichi gave a sincere smile to Naruto and then to her sensei. Kurenai was glad that Hinata had begun to have confidence. The confident young woman she saw before her was far more different from the shy and stuttering girl that she once new. She was glad that her student had changed for the better, that she didn't change entirely and that she remained as the kind-hearted, down-to-earth girl that she has always been.

"Kurenai-sensei is one of the people who believed in what I can do. She isn't just a teacher; she is also a friend.-Someone who knew my secrets and someone whom I could talk to about girl stuff. She and I always share stories with each other, stories we can't tell Kiba and Shino. She told me stories about Kakashi-sensei, stuff their date and all. In return, I'd tell her stuff about Naruto and me. We'd talk for hours. With all the stories that she shared to me, I found it very clear that you, Kakashi-sensei truly make her happy. I'm glad that she found you and I hope for all the best things in life for both of you." Hinata said before she made a toast and took a sip from her glass of sparkling wine. She went to give Kurenai and Kakashi a hug.

After Hintata was done, she handed the microphone to Kiba who grinned at the couple before him.

"I have to admit, when I found out Kurenai-sensei was dating Kakashi-sensei, at first, I didn't like the idea. I was pretty over protective of her. I'd probably be more protective of her than her dad was once was. I was afraid for Kurenai-sensei and Mirai to get hurt. I saw how depressed she was when she lost Asuma-sensei and as her student, I wanted to protect her the way she had always been protecting us. I'd like to say sorry to you, Kakashi sensei for giving you a hard time. I hope we're cool, now."

Kiba turned to Kakashi who gave him two-thumbs up and a smile in response. Kurenai smiled at the gesture and let Kiba continue.

"I'm trusting that you'd take care of her and Mirai. I hope you won't let me down and I wish you all the happiness in life." Kiba ended before he gave Shino the microphone and went back to his seat.

Of all Kurenai's students, Kiba had always been the most, aggressive, short-tempered one. It was hard for her to convince him that everything between her and Kakashi will turn out fine, but in the end he was only looking out for her and she appreciated how he cared about her like family.

"You didn't have to make me give a message, but I'm glad you guys remembered me." Shino started. Kurenai rolled her eyes and sighed,"Here he goes again…"

"But anyway, I'll not take most of your time and get straight to the point. I wish you all the happiness in your marriage and I hope you'll be strong enough to go through all your endeavors. Take care of each other and be happy. I guess, that's all I could wish for the two of you…"

"Thank you, Shino… That was short and sweet…" Kurenai said in an appreciative manner as she smiled at her awkward yet smart student. Kurenai knew how Shino had always been a man of few words. She appreciated how despite how short his message seemed, it ended up meaningful. Also, she knew very well, that Shino may have a sensitive side at times and that he needed some special attention.

After their students gave their messages, Mirai came to give hers.

She stood gracefully as she took the microphone from Shino who gave her a pat on the head. She smiled at her mom and now, step father.

"Kaasan is always taking care of me. Now that Kaasan's married to Chichue, someone will be taking care of my Kaasan. Kaasan told me that Touchan died before I was born but that doesn't mean he isn't here anymore. She told me that Touchan will always be watching me from heaven. I am very lucky to have two fathers who will love me.-One in heaven and one here on Earth. I love you, Kaasan and Chichue."

The simple message brought a lot of smiles to everyone in the event. Mirai's innocence was one of the reasons why she seemed really charming to everyone especially to Kakashi. She was always smiling, despite how hard it was for her and Kurenai, despite being picked on for not having a father. Kakashi found it very easy to love her. After all, it doesn't take much effort to love a sweet angel.

The little girl approached her mother and stepfather to give them a warm hug.

"That was lovely." Kurenai complimented before she gave her lovely daughter a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you for that, princess…" Kakashi said with a smile as gave her a pat on the back, before she left to go back to her seat beside Hinata.

As soon as Mirai was seated, Tsunade proceeded to give her message. She smiled as she looked at the couple before her. She was happy for them. For so long she had watched the two grow up. The fifth hokage, after all, wasn't only their former boss, but also someone who had been good friend with their parents. It was hard to picture her as someone who is about two decades older than them for she still looked young and beautiful because of her medical ninjutsu. Sometimes they found it hard to believe that she had the same generation as their parents, but it was the reality.

The Senju princess took a moment to look at the newly-wedded couple. It pained her a bit as she thought how lovely it could have been if their parents were there to witness their special moment, but she was happy for them. She could clearly remember the stories she'd heard about Kakashi from her late sensei, the Sandaime hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. She found it unfortunate how Kakashi grew cold and bitter about his father's death. Tsunade after all, was a close friend of Hatake Sakumo. She also witnessed how Kurenai grieved for her late lover, Sarutobi Asuma, her Hiruzen-sensei's youngest son. She related well with Kurenai, considering she had also lost her lover, Dan Kato, to a battle. Seeing how Kakashi and Kurenai found each other despite how unfortunate life may be, made Tsunade feel some sort of relief and happiness in her heart.

"I'll be speaking on behalf of Jiraiya as well. He's already drunk so…" Tsunade began as she held a CD in her hands. She flinched from where she stood when Jiraiya stood up (barely), swirling from left to right, his face flushed crimson due to the alcohol intake.

"I want to give my message too, Hime… It's my favorite reader's wedding day!" Jiraiya protested childishly. Tsunade rubbed her temples in frustration before she retorted, "You get to give your message when you're sober, you dummy!"

After scolding the legendary Gamma-Sennin, Tsunade then turned back to the couple to continue with what she was saying.

"Well… I wouldn't say much anymore. I'll just leave it to this video. This is kind of our wedding gift. We had help from your students as well. I certainly hope both of you like it." She said before she inserted the CD to laptop that was connected to a projector that played a video on the screen. The screen was black for a while with the words, _'His Story…'_ written in white.

The video continued to play and everyone watched in anticipation. The inside of a certain house was seen in the footage. The house didn't seem to be too big or spacious, but it was very neat. The view seemed very familiar to Kakashi. He recognized it as his residence. Though a few minor changed have been made like, repainting and rearrangement of furniture, there was no doubt it was his residence.

A certain voice was heard from the video.-A voice Kakashi knew so well.

"Chichue…" He said in a soft tone as he recognized his voice very well, despite not hearing it for so many years.

"Is it on? Oh… Okay. It's on. Hahaha." The man taking the video said. Kakashi felt nostalgic as he smiled upon hearing his father's voice.-His voice that he missed so much. A lot of feelings filled his heart as he watched the video play. He had never seen the video ever in his life. The quality isn't as good, but it was enough to warm his heart.

The focus of the video went to woman who had her back facing Sakumo who had been taking the video. Her hair was color brown, straight and very long. She was holding a 'bundle' in her arms.

"We're celebrating a very special moment…" Sakumo said over the video right before he made an attempt to produce a sound of a drum roll. "We're finally parents!"

The woman didn't turn around for the video which made Sakumo call out her attention. "Turn around and give me a lovely smile, Kaede. Come on…"

The woman turned around but covered her face with the bundle, which happened to be a baby that she was holding. The baby had silver hair and onyx eyes.

"Stop covering your face and give me a lovely view…" Sakumo teased, making her giggle a lovely, soft melody that replayed in Kakashi's ears.

"You know I don't like getting photographed." She complained, still refusing to show her face.

"This is a video. So, technically you aren't being photographed." Sakumo protested playfully as he persuaded her to show her face.

Kurenai smirked as she leaned closer to her husband.

"So that's where you get your habits from huh?" Kurenai remarked.

"I guess so…" Kakashi replied, unsure since he never really got to meet his mom. He saw her a few times in photo albums that his dad showed him. He didn't know much about her. He was very young when she died. His dad told him that his mom had been very sickly ever since she was a child, a reason why she wasn't accepted in the Ninja academy. She wanted to be a kunoichi so badly, but her condition prohibited her from reaching her dream and doing things she wanted. Her pregnancy even made worsened her condition. So, a few months after giving birth to Kakashi, she died.

After Sakumo's continuous action of bugging Kaede to smile for the camera, she finally gave in and showed her face. She had a lovely face. She had hazel brown eyes that compliment her hair-color. Her smile was shy yet very bright and a dimple on her left cheek shows every time she does. Many people would say that Kakashi looked exactly like his father because of his silver hair and onyx eyes, but actually he inherited some features from his mother too. He had the same soft features as she does and his smile is very much identical to hers. The combination of his parents' features actually worked well on him.

Kakashi watched intently as his mom giggled in the video with his baby-self in her arms. She seemed like a very nice lady. Despite how unfortunate life was to her, she still manages to smile even brighter than most fortunate people.

"Kakashi… look at your father and give him a smile…" Kaede said with a smile as she looked at her bundle of joy. She voice was soft like music. Her baby didn't seem to comprehend what she said but he looked innocently at the camera.

"You look very beautiful with our kid in your arms…" Sakumo complimented, chuckling, making Kaede blush.

Kakashi couldn't help but laugh upon seeing his father's romantic side.

"You think so?" Kaede asked as she turned her gaze at her baby, trying to avoid her husband's gaze.

"Yeah…" Sakumo replied. His voice sounding really soft as he responded to her, making it seem like he has been mesmerized by his wife's beauty.

"Have you been reading Jiraiya's books again? I'm guessing you found that romantic line from his work." Kaede joked, making Sakumo laugh.

The peaceful atmosphere in the video soon became disrupted when a crash was heard. Immediately, the scene was changed from the living room to the dining area where Jiraiya and Tsunade were found bickering over the decorations that they were supposed to put for the simple celebration.

"You dummy! You're so clumsy I can't trust you with anything!" Tsunade complained, scolding the gamma-sennin.

"It's you who can't be trusted with anything! I told you to hold the ladder. You always let me fall, Hime." Jiraiya retorted, adding a deeper meaning to his words.

"Shut up!" Tsunade screamed as she pushed him.

The view of the video started to become a bit shaky as the angle was changed in such a way that, Sakumo could be seen in the video while he was still taking it.

"This is everyone for now. We're getting ready for the party but these two are having a lovers' quarrel again." Sakumo said over the video. Tsunade who stood behind him gave a deathly glare and answered, "We're not lovers!"

"Where's Orochimaru, by the way? He's always late." Jiraiya asked, changing the topic.

"You know Niisan, always working on his experiments, but he promised he'll be here." Kaede answered as she handed little Kakashi to his dad. The scene in the video stayed with Sakumo playing with his son in the living room, while his friends and wife prepared what it needed in the simple celebration.

It was hard for Kakashi to believe that his parents had once been good friends with Orochimaru. He once heard that his mom was very close to him, since she grew up with him. They were childhood friends, almost siblings.

The video skipped to another important scene in Kakashi's life. Kakashi blushed as soon as the video flashed a toddler version of himself inside the bathtub covered in soaps and suds. He giggled as he played with his squeaky rubber ducky and played in the water, splashing it all over the place. Standing by the tub is his mother, Kaede, still in her pajamas and giving him a bath and at the same time laughing as she is soaked with the water that her child is playing with.

"Our baby's taking a bath and he's having fun…" The same voice was heard in the video. Later on, the camera was settled down to one place, perfectly angled so that the camera can still capture the Hatake family together.

Kakashi couldn't help but smile at the sight before him, the happy family that he once had.

They were all laughing in the video, playing around, spending the little quality time they had together until…

"Oh…no…" Kaeda said as she paused her actions and stared at adorable toddler who seemed to be making some funny faces.

"What?" Sakumo asked cluelessly as he stopped to look at his son.

"He's making the face…" Kaeda replied in panic as she lifted her son from the tub.

"What face?" Sakumo asked, starting to panic as well as he watched his wife.

"He's making the poopy face, Sakumo. He's gonnna poop in the tub!" She replied as she handed her child to her husband, the baby's rear view facing him as she struggled to get the toilet open since the toilet seat was on child lock.

Kakashi blushed furiously as every guest present in the reception burst into laughter at the cute yet embarrassing family video that was projected to the screen. Kurenai couldn't help but giggle as well at the sight of baby Kakashi's naked bottom.

As soon as Kaede was able to lift the toilet seat a certain sound was heard, which sent everyone laughing harder.

PRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT!

Sakumo didn't really know what to feel as he held his breath and then burst into laughter after wards. Kaede's giggle blended with his laugh, creating a sweet harmony that warmed Kakashi's heart as he continued watching despite the shame that he felt.

"It's a false alarm, but… Still…" Sakumo remarked between his laughs, realizing that his son had just farted on his face. "That was pretty powerful for such a small creature. Smells like milk…-Spoiled milk."

The silver haired toddler seemed to become conscious of what just happened. He covered his face in shame but giggled afterwards, muttering gibberish words and what seemed like a, "Whoopsie." to the couple.

The clip ended, skipping to some pictures of Kakashi with his parents both present and then to a video of his first walk, with only just him and Sakumo. A certain pain filled his heart as he realized how young he was when he experienced his first loss.

In the video, a toddler Kakashi was seen walking slowly towards his father who encouraged him. Hesitation could be seen with every step he took, until he tripped and fell into his father's arms. A sigh of relief came to the toddler in the video as he tightened his arms around his father who smiled.

Kurenai held her husband's hand as soon as she noticed how fixated he was on the old videos being projected to the screen. Kakashi smiled sadly as he watched how his Sakumo ruffled the toddler's hair very much identical to his.

"You did great. I told you… I wouldn't let you get hurt, didn't I…" Sakumo said.

His words, _'I wouldn't let you get hurt…' _rang in Kakashi's ears.

'_But you did…' _He thought

He clenched his fists as his vision started to get blurry, tears threatening to fall from his eyes as old painful memories came back to him. Kakashi couldn't remember the last time he cried. It had seemed long ago. He had forgiven his father already, but he knew the pain had always been there. He went through such tough times.

He sighed as he looked at his wife and shrugged the painful thoughts away. No matter the circumstances that had passed, in the end he was still blessed after all.

The video skipped to pictures of Kakashi in the academy, up to his graduation where he was the most outstanding student, having been able to graduate and become a genin at a young age of five and be promoted to chunin at the age of six. Pictures with his old team flashed on the screen and finally pictures of him with his students were the last before the screen went black and white letters that spelled, _'Her story…' _ flashed to the screen.

A few videos of Kurenai's childhood were flashed to the screen. Videos with her first smile, first walk, first everything showed. She felt as nostalgic as Kakashi did as she watched her life being played on the screen.

Kakashi figured, Kurenai was pretty adorable as a child. He couldn't help but chuckle at those cute moments of her being played on the screen. His favorite, however was a video of a 4-year-old Kurenai singing on stage. She was wearing a pink kimono, her hair braided neatly. She stood up straight as she held a microphone in her hand as she sang a soft melody.

Kakashi remembered seeing the performance live, back when they were both in the academy. He couldn't help but smile upon remembering a vivid memory.

"That's for the annual Konohagakure Academy Talent show, right?" Kakashi asked, slightly teasing his lovely wife.

"Um… Yeah… It's pretty embarrassing." Kurenai replied, feeling her face heat up as she watched her four-year old self singing to Utada Hikaru's 'First Love.'

The few pictures that followed were pictures of her graduation, then pictures of her with her first student, Yakumo and the last were pictures of her with Kiba, Hinata and Shino before the screen went black, later on viewing the third part of the video… _Their story…_

Pictures of a new born Mirai with Kakashi and Kurenai were shown. Kurenai remembered very well how Kakashi took care of her during those times she needed someone to stay by her side. She remembered how he came real quickly to rush her to the hospital when she was about to give birth to Mirai and how he let her squeeze his hand during those long, tiring hours of labor. He was with her all the time that the nurses thought that he was Mirai's father.

Through their years of being together, she and Kakashi rarely took pictures. Kakashi hates being photographed which was one of the things that frustrates her, but in the video they had tons of pictures together, most of them were candid. She couldn't help but wonder how they got those photos, but she had a wild guess as she looked suspiciously at her and Kakashi's students.

* * *

Despite how much of a hassle it was for Gai because of his condition of being on a wheel chair or walking on crutches after the war, he still eagerly agreed to be the host of the celebration. He was very lively all through-out especially when the bouquet and garter tossing was about to start.

For most of the guests, especially the adults, the bouquet and garter tossing was the most awaited part of the celebration, since many have come to believe that whoever gets the bouquet and garter, gets married next, maybe just a few months after the newly –wedded couple. It was a pretty foolish thing to believe in for others, but many still participate for fun.

"You know what to do, Eternal Rival." Gai said, challenging the Sixth Hokage who laughed nervously as he stood next to Kurenai who sat on a Tiffany Chair. He hesitantly knelt in front of her. Kurenai blushed as she felt his hands gently touch her skin as he moved the slit of her Kimono dress, partly revealing flawless left leg, showing the red lacey garter wrapped around her thigh.

"No hands! That's the rule." Gai reminded with a smirk, making Kakashi gulp nervously.

"R-right… "He replied as he looked at Kurenai and then at the guests who cheered for the two of them, before his lips gently touched Kurenai's skin. His teeth lightly grazed her thigh as he pulled the lacey garter down with his mouth. Shivers ran down the Kurenai's spine at the sudden touch. She blushed furiously at how Kakashi was able to expertly take the little piece of clothing without using his hands. She couldn't imagine how he'd do in their honeymoon. Her face heated up at the sudden thought.

"Smooth move as expected from the Lord Sixth." Gai commented, giving the groom thumbs up.

As soon as the garter was taken off, the couple stood up for the game. The female and male guests were separated. Of course, the female guests stood behind Kurenai for the bouquet toss and the male guests stood behind Kakashi for the garter toss.

Everyone was excited and competitive for the simple game, for most couples, it was a test of love and for the ones who were still single, it was a test of fate.

'_I have to get the bouquet and I sure hope that some handsome, single guy would get the garter. This might be my chance of meeting 'the one'' _The fifth Mizukage thought, determined to win.

'_Sasuke and I will get married soon! Cha! I have to get this bouquet and Sasuke better get that garter!' _Inner Sakura was getting into action as well.

'_I'll not lose to Sakura this time, SaiIno forever!' _Ino thought, feeling very competitive as well.

'_It's just a game, but I guess, it won't hurt to have a little fun. I do hope that if I get the bouquet, Naruto-Kun gets the garter.' _Hinata thought nervously. She knew that she'd be really jealous if some girl gets the bouquet and Naruto gets the garter. She knew that in a way she'd have to put up a fight since her boyfriend has a chance at getting the garter and since that he's pretty competitive even if it was just a stupid game.

'_Jiraiya and I are too old for this. Besides he's too drunk to even stand up straight.' _Tsunade sulked, lacking interest in the game because of some circumstances.

'_This is such a drag…' _Shikamaru thought, having no interest at all, but since his girlfriend, Temari was pretty persistent, he was forced to join.

'_I have to get this stupid garter. This is for Hinata and me.-ttebayo!'_Naruto shouted inwardly, feeling the vibe as he waited for the Gai's signal.

'_If the times right, Yugao and I would get married. Winning a silly game wouldn't really dictate that right? Besides, I'm not even sure if she would get the bouquet. Oh well…' _Yamato deliberated in his head as he listened carefully to Gai's count down.

"3…2…1…Go!" Gai said and Kakashi and Kurenai tossed the garter and bouquet.

The guests all gasped on the couple that was able to succeed on the game.

"Wow… I wasn't even aiming for the win, but thanks…" Yugao laughed as she looked at the crowd behind the groom, trying to find out about the result from the other side, hoping that Yamato caught the garter.

"I don't believe in this stuff, but this might have been fate or just Sempai's doing…" Yamato said holding the garter in his hand.

"My doing? I merely tossed the piece of cloth, Tenzou…" Kakashi said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess we're too young to get married, after all, Hinata…" Naruto remarked as he took Hinata's hand assuring her that it was okay that they didn't win.

"Better luck next time, I guess?" Hinata said encouragingly.

"I can't believe it! My one chance of finding a husband and I blew it! Ugh! I need a drink." Mei complained feeling too worked up for the game.

"We're expecting a wedding sometime soon…" Kurenai told Yugao as she let her sit on the Tiffany Chair that she had just sat on.

"You go for it, Tenzou…" Kakashi said as he gave Yamato a pat on the back.

Yamato gave Yugao a nervous smile as he knelt before her. He took one moment to look at his girlfriend. Yugao looked very beautiful with her long, purple hair curled at the ends. Her lavender kimono looked beautiful on her as well.

He looked down as he slid the garter to her foot, slowly pushing it upwards, and slightly lifting her kimono up. Yugao blushed as she held on to the bouquet and she tried to calm herself down.

A lot of cheering was heard when Yamato was able to put the piece of cloth in place. He chuckled nervously as he looked up his girlfriend who smiled down at him.

* * *

Right after the whole celebration, Kurenai changed into her red cocktail dress while Kakashi put on his black suit and red tie that matched Kurenai's dress. They prepared their luggage, and put it in the yacht that they'll be riding in to get to an island near Kirigakure, where they will be spending their honeymoon.

Before the two got on board, they took a moment to leave their reminders while they're away on a 5-day vacation.

"Remember, no television until you get your homework done and lights out at 8:00, okay?" Kurenai reminded her daughter strictly. "And-

"Always listen to Hinata-neechan, Sakura-neechan, Ino-neechan and Tenten-neechan while you and Chichue are away. I will also practice my ninjutsu all the time. I know, Kaasan, I know…." Mirai finished, assuring her mother that she'll be a responsible little girl while she's away.

"Gai, Yugao, Yamato, I leave you in charge of this village while I'm gone. If something goes wrong, Naruto, send me any of your toads to deliver your message." Kakashi said, feeling a bit nervous about leaving the village, after all, it is his responsibility to take care of village and his people. He couldn't help but feel a bit worried about leaving the village without a kage for five days.

"We'll handle it, Kakashi! No worries!" Gai assured giving his friend a pat on the back.

Kakashi smiled, knowing that he can trust his comrades very well. He then turned to his now, stepdaughter and crouched to her height to give her some of his reminders as well.

"I trust that you'll be a good girl while we're gone, okay?" He said calmly as he smiled at her. The little girl nodded her head obediently in response.

"Do you want something when we get back?-A souvenir from the island, perhaps?" Kakashi asked and the girl thought hard before she answered,

"I want a baby brother when you guys come back!"Mirai answered with so much enthusiasm.

Kakashi and Kurenai's friends and students couldn't help but laugh at the sudden answer. The newly-wedded couple turned as red as tomatoes at the thought.

"Honey, having asking for a sibling isn't as easy as you think…" Kurenai tried to explain as Mirai looked at her with a clueless expression.

"I asked, Ino-neechan when I could have a baby brother she told me that I will have a one after you and Chichue come back from the honeymoon. So, I thought that maybe in the island you'll be going to, there is a store where you can baby brothers or sisters." Mirai answered innocently.

Ino couldn't help but laugh nervously after the child had just mentioned her and since Kurenai and Kakashi were looking at her suspiciously, giving her the "What have you told her?!" kind of look.

"Princess, we'll try but we can't promise you right away, okay?" Kakashi promised, before he gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek. "So… Besides a brother or a sister, what do you want, hmm?"

MIrai thought for a while again and couldn't come up with anything else.

"How about I get you some shells from the island, would you like that? The shells there can't be found anywhere else." Kakashi suggested as he winked at her.

"I guess, the shells would be okay…" Mirai agreed with a smile.

"We'll be home soon okay? I'll miss you." Kurenai said before she gave her daughter a kiss and a tight hug before she and her husband would leave for the trip. She turned to the four kunoichi before her and smiled as she handed them her lovely daughter.

"I trust Mirai to you, okay? Take care of her while we're gone." Kurenai reminded for the nth time, feeling hesitant to leave her child. Though she knew that the four girls can all be trusted, she still felt uncomfortable of not seeing her child for five days.

"We'll be okay, Sensei! Don't worry! We'll have lots of fun together!" Ino assured.

"Have a safe trip!" Hinata said.

"Have fun, you two!" Yugao shouted, waving as the couple went on aboard.

* * *

The yacht finally went sailing and the two were left alone to have wine together and enjoy the beautiful and peaceful ambience. Soft music played as the two slowed dance in the night. Kurenai looked into her husband's onyx eyes. She wrapped her left arm around his neck while she brought her right hand up to his face, tracing the scar on his left eye with her finger as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"This is a bit too much, don't you think Kakashi?" Kurenai reminded, worrying that he'd spent too much on the cruise. She didn't really feel comfortable about Kakashi giving too much to her even if he afforded it after earning tons of cash from the missions he had taken way back and considering his status as the village's sixth hokage. She wants him to save something for himself.

"This? Don't worry about it Kurenai…" Kakashi assured her. "This is for you and me, besides as expensive as it looks, truth be told I didn't spend much on this, promise."

Kurenai looked at him suspiciously, curious about the answer.

"It's actually a gift from the Captain so you don't have to worry about the expense." Kakashi answered with a wink as he grinned childishly.

"Gift?" Kurenai asked, looking for clarification.

"You don't know? Captain Takahashi is a good friend of Team 7. We saved him on a mission, once. I originally asked to rent the yacht with a discount, but he insisted that we'd rent it for free as his wedding present to us." Kakashi clarified, making Kurenai understand.

"Oh… Well that's really nice of him…"Kurenai remarked with a smile before they both hushed for a while to cherish their moment together. It took a while before Kurenai spoke again, breaking the silence between them.

"Kakashi?"

"Yeah?" He asked, still keeping her in his arms.

"Thank you, for everything. It's just that, you've always been here for me. You make me happy. You loved Mirai like she was your own. You've given me so much and I don't know how I could ever measure up to-

She was cut off as soon as he brought a finger to her lips.

"You and Mirai make me happy. Finally, I'd have a family waiting for me at home. It's been a while since..."Kakashi's voice trailed off as memories of his losses filled his mind. He then cleared his throat and pulled her closer to his arms. "I love you, Kurenai. Don't you ever think otherwise... Don't ever worry about not giving enough because you've already given me so much."

Upon hearing his words, Kurenai sighed in content and rested her head on his chest, getting accustomed to the warmth that she felt from him as she stayed in his arms. She looked up to meet his gaze once more and mumbled, "I love you too, Kakashi…"

* * *

After spending a few moments together, Kurenai and Kakashi decided to get some rest before they arrive at the island tomorrow morning. Kakashi took a shower first while Kurenai fixed their luggage. She opened hers to get the matching couple pajamas that she had just packed a while ago. The pajamas were a gift from Hinata and Naruto. It had a Hamtaro print on it and not only was it cute, it was comfortable as well. She settled the pajamas on the bed and took another look at her luggage which she fixed neatly. It was divided into 3 parts, night wears, outdoor clothes and undies and toiletries. The Nightwear portion of her luggage caught her attention pretty well.

Her eyes widened in shock as soon as she checked out the set of _night wear_ inside her luggage. For as long as she could remember, she had placed a nice set of pajamas that were good for five nights. She couldn't remember placing such revealing clothing in there. She examined the set of _night wear _that had been placed inside her luggage they were all lacey and provocative. She couldn't imagine herself in them, not to mention that they seem to _hardly cover her parts.-_Scratch that. They don't cover anything at all. She blushed in embarrassment and later on turned pale in panic, realizing that she had nothing to wear at night for their honeymoon. The only decent night wear she had were the hamtaro pajamas which she planned to wear on their night at the yacht. Of course, she didn't plan to use them again for another night without having them washed. That would be really unhygienic and gross…

She wondered, _'who would do such a thing!?'_

Then a note was seen strapped to one of the lingeries.

* * *

_**Kurenai, I know you'd probably be mad about this for now, but you'll be thanking me after Mirai's sibling comes to this world. Hehehe. Kakashi wouldn't be able to resist you in these. ;)**_

_**Love lots, Anko**_

* * *

**A.N This update took a while. Sorry for that. I've just started my classes for the 2****nd**** semester. **** I'll still try to update as soon as I can.**

**I hope you all liked this update. See you soon!**

**With love,  
~Kei-chan**


	3. Insecurities

**Title: Beyond Rivalry  
Chapter 3: Insecurities  
Pairing: Kakashi X Kurenai**

* * *

_**A.N. This is slightly rated.**_

* * *

Kurenai's cheeks turned a darker shade of crimson at the thought of wearing such a provocative nightwear. She felt her heart beat fast against her chest as her mind went blank while she stared at a certain portion of her luggage. She tried to convince herself that she had nothing to be ashamed about. Kakashi is her husband. But the longer she looked at the pile of lingerie in her luggage, the more she felt intimidated. Kurenai figured that she isn't as _sexy _as she used to be. After giving birth to Mirai, she gained a few pounds and had a few stretch marks on her skin. She couldn't help but feel a bit insecure about herself.

Kurenai snapped out of her thoughts as soon as she heard Kakashi come out of the bathroom. She closed her luggage shut and turned her attention to him as soon as she heard him call her name. She felt her cheeks heat up even more as she gulped at the sight of Kakashi with only a towel wrapped around his waist to cover his _lower parts._

Kurenai couldn't help but get distracted. Kakashi had just come out fresh from the shower. His hair was still wet and a few droplets of water were trickling down his well-toned torso.

"Kurenai, are you okay?" Kakashi asked worriedly since she didn't respond to his question, which she probably wasn't paying attention to since she was too busy checking him out.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi what did you say?" She answered with a question as she looked away from him and zipped her luggage, afraid that he might find out about her _surprise night wear._

"I was looking for those pajamas that we packed together. The ones that you said I should wear tonight.–The ones that Naruto and Hinata gave?" Kakashi replied as he scratched his head sheepishly. Kurenai gave him a shy smile as she took the Hamtaro pajamas that she had set on the bed and gave them to Kakashi for him to wear before she headed straight to the bathroom to take a shower.

As soon as Kurenai was done taking a shower, she changed into her pair of Hamtaro pajamas and went straight to bed, lying down next to Kakashi who smiled at how adorable she looked in her Hamtaro pajamas. Kurenai's thoughts drifted to the contents of her luggage again as she shifted her position, her back facing Kakashi as she laid down beside him.

Kakashi had started to notice how Kurenai had been acting strangely after dinner. He shifted his position so that he was facing Kurenai's back. He gently wrapped an arm around her waist, engulfing her in a warm embrace as he pulled her closer to him. Kurenai froze as she felt Kakashi's breath on her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

"You okay? You seem to be thinking about a lot of things." Kakashi spoke. Kurenai sighed as she turned to face him. She gave him a half-hearted smile as she tried let go of the worry inside her heart.

"I'm just tired, that's all." She simply replied. Kakashi felt that there was something else bothering Kurenai, but he decided not to argue as he gave her a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Go to sleep. I'll wake you up when we arrive at the island." He said as he pulled the blanket over Kurenai and observed her beautiful features under the moonlight as she drifted into slumber, watching her sleep soundly all through the night.

* * *

The next morning, Kurenai and Kakashi had already arrived at the island where they stayed in a small cozy vacation house that belonged to Kakashi's mom. It turns out, Kakashi's mom, Kaede actually resided near Kirigakure before she moved to Konohagakure where she met Sakumo.

The vacation house was a property of Kaede's family, which was passed on to her and Sakumo when they got married. The house had wonderful memories of the Hatake family. It was where Kakashi celebrated his 1st birthday. At that time, Kaede was still alive. When she died, Sakumo and Kakashi continued visiting the vacation house on special occasions.

Now that Kakashi is married, he figured that bringing Kurenai to their vacation house on their honeymoon would make things more special.

The vacation house still looked beautiful despite it being old. Kakashi always made sure that it is wonderfully maintained. The house after all was very important to him.

A month before their wedding, Kakashi did some minor changes to the house. He repainted the house for the old paint was starting to chip off. He rearranged some of the furniture and did some cleaning. Since nobody resided there, the things in the house had started collecting dust. Of course, Kakashi didn't want to spend his honeymoon with Kurenai on a dusty place. Kakashi never considered himself to be romantic, but he always did his best to make Kurenai happy. He wanted their honeymoon to be perfect.

Kurenai smiled as she stepped on the front door of the vacation house. She held her luggage next to her. She was about to enter as soon as Kakashi opened the door with the keys he took inside a pot of a potted plant near the door. She was stopped as soon as Kakashi lifted her in his arms in one swift move, carrying her bridal style, with ease as he pushed the door open as well.

"Still following tradition, I see." Kurenai said giggling. Kakashi smiled as he looked into her eyes. He stood by the entrance with Kurenai in his arms and lingered at the moment for a few seconds as he kept his gaze on her radiant smile, before he gently put her down so that he could bring their things inside.

Kurenai took a few moments to observe the Hatake Vacation house. The walls were beautifully painted. Framed pictures were hung up as well. A wedding photo of Kakashi's parents was hung up. A shelf had a few photo albums and framed pictures of Kakashi as a baby, a complete Hatake Family where Sakumo had his arms wrapped around Kaede who held baby Kakashi in her arms. It was the only complete family picture that Kakashi had kept. Next to it was a newly framed photo of Kakashi's new family where Kakashi and Kurenai were captured laughing as they hugged Mirai between them, sharing one adorable group hug. The picture was taken during the lantern festival in Konoha last January. The photo was framed by Kakashi when he decided to renovate the house a month before his wedding.

* * *

The couple decided to change into their summer outfit after they had already brought their things inside the house. Kurenai changed into her nice orange summer dress. She also wore a nice brimmed straw hat and sandals that matched her out fit. Underneath her dress was her swimsuit which she wore just in case she and Kakashi decided to go swimming in the beach. Kakashi, on the other hand, wore his light blue cotton shirt and white shorts.

Kakashi couldn't help but become mesmerized by Kurenai's presence. She looked very beautiful in her summer dress. Kurenai blushed as she felt Kakashi's gaze on her. She bit her lip in a shy manner as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

Kakashi wrapped his arms around her waist as he gave her a playful smirk.

"I don't want you going out looking like that." Kakashi said sternly, making Kurenai feel upset a bit.

"Why? You don't like it?" Kurenai asked in disappointed tone as she fidgeted and played with the hem of her dress.

"I don't want perverted guys to stare at my lovely wife." He added possessively as he held her closer to him. Kurenai giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and stared into his dark orbs.

"Then let them stare. That's all they could ever do because too bad for them, I'm already taken." Kurenai replied. "Besides, when you go out there without your mask, a lot of women will be staring at you."

"They can look at me for how long they'd want to, but I won't be looking their way because I'll have my eyes fixated on this lovely lady right here." Kakashi answered as he held his wife's hand as he scratched his head with his freehand. He couldn't believe that he was saying. It embarrassed him a bit. Kakashi wasn't normally cheesy, but love is really strange. Love has changed him…

"Did you learn that line from your books again?" Kurenai asked as he looked at him suspiciously and slightly hit his arm.

"Maybe…" Kakashi said as he shrugged. Kurenai giggled as she slapped his arm once more and walked along the sandy beach with him.

* * *

To start their vacation, the couple decided to have breakfast at a restaurant nearby where they ordered a nice warm cup of coffee and waffles topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup.

"I wonder how they're doing at home, especially Mirai. I hope they're alright." Kurenai sighed, before she took a sip from her cup of coffee.

Kakashi smiled. He knew that Kurenai couldn't help but get worried. She is a mother after all. He gently squeezed her hand.

"They'll be alright, Kurenai. I mean, I'm worried about Mirai too and the village as well, but I trust that our friends will take care of everything while we're gone. It's our honeymoon. We should relax and enjoy." He told her, making her feel less worried as she let out a sigh of relief.

After eating breakfast, the two decided to have a nice stroll on the beach. Kakashi was right about men staring at Kurenai. He couldn't help but feel infuriated at the thought that other men were fantasizing about his wife. Kakashi had never felt so irrationally irritated before. From time to time he'd shoot sharp glares at guys who dared to look at Kurenai.

Kurenai couldn't help but notice Kakashi's behavior. She couldn't help but giggle at how protective Kakashi was.

"I swear. I'd use the sharingan if they won't stop doing what they're doing." Kakashi muttered under his breath, which Kurenai heard as she laughed. Kakashi looked skeptically at Kurenai as she laughed.

"What's so funny?" He asked. There was a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"Kakashi, are you hearing yourself right now? Look at you. You're jealous." Kurenai teased as she childishly poked her husband's cheek. She loved the feeling that Kakashi wasn't holding back with his emotions anymore. He was slowly learning to express what he truly feels.

Back in the days, Kakashi always masked his emotions, making him seem like he was cold and emotionless. He had to learn the hard way. He needed to set aside his emotions and prioritize the missions. He was very young when he learned to show people his strong and cold façade.

Deep down inside, Kakashi was still human. He was hurt and lonely, but he didn't want the people to see that he truly was. He didn't want to admit it to himself.

But things change… People change…

"I'm not jealous. I never get jealous." Kakashi said defensively, making Kurenai laugh harder.

"Yes you are. You just don't want to admit it, Mr. Hokage." Kurenai kept on teasing. "I really can't believe it; the ever-so, cool, calm and collected Hatake Kakashi is close to bursting because of jealousy."

Kakashi rolled his eyes as Kurenai kept on teasing him. It didn't take too long for Kurenai to get on his nerves. Kakashi knew he needed revenge and he was able to think fast. He carried Kurenai bridal style, startling her as he slowly approached the water.

Kurenai's eyes widened as she glanced at Kakashi who had an evident, mischievous smirk on his face.

"Oh no you don't!" Kurenai warned, but it seemed as though her husband didn't care about what she had to say as he tossed her into the water, soaking her from head to toe.

'_Revenge is sweet.' _Kakashi thought to himself just until Kurenai stood up soaking from head to toe. Kakashi then realized that what he just did backfired on him.

Kurenai's sun dress had not only started to stick to her skin it had also become see-through because of the water, exposing her red swimsuit underneath.

Kakashi couldn't help but become mesmerized by his wife's presence. He froze on where he was standing as his cheeks heated up. He kept his gaze on Kurenai who had started to take off her summer dress to reveal her red swimsuit.

Kakashi figured that Kurenai really looked _hot_ in her swimsuit. Though Kurenai wasn't wearing a two-piece bikini, the swimsuit hugged her figure perfectly.

* * *

The two did a lot of fooling around, chasing each other as their feet touched the soft sand of the island, taking things lightly for once, relaxing until they waited for sunset.

"I remember… This was always the best part of the trip…" Kakashi said as he looked at the orange sky. "When I was young, dad and I used to do this all the time…"

"It's so beautiful!"Kurenai said in awe. Her beautiful crimson eyes sparkled as she looked at the sunset. This didn't go unnoticed by Kakashi as he was gazing at her all throughout.

"Beautiful, indeed." Kakashi agreed, though he seemed to be pertaining to her rather than the lovely sight before them.

Kurenai felt Kakashi's gaze on her. She turned her attention to him and met his gaze. She looked into onyx orbs he slowly leaned forward, closing the small distance between them. She closed her eyes as he gently pressed his lips on to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer to him and tilted his head to deepen the kiss.

The couple soon broke the kiss for air as they made each other breathless.

The two still held each other's gaze. Silence lingered around them. At that moment they only saw each other and nothing else mattered.

"We should go back. It's starting to get cold." Kurenai said, breaking the silence between them as she stood up. Kakashi followed her to the vacation house right away.

* * *

Kurenai decided to wear her already dry summer dress as she waited for her turn to take the shower. She kneeled on the floor with her luggage opened right in front of her. She sighed as she closed it again.

'_What should I do? Should I call Hinata?' _Kurenai thought to herself as she fidgeted and decided that it wasn't a good idea. _'Hinata's still young and innocent. She doesn't know anything about this married life dilemma.'_

'_I'm doomed. I'm gonna embarrass myself in front of my husband. Great.' _Kurenai thought as she opened her luggage to pick lingerie that's a bit more decent for her to wear for the night, but she couldn't find anything that she thought would suit her. She wanted to scream if only Kakashi wouldn't hear her. She was so frustrated. Kakashi will be coming out of the shower in a few minutes.

'_Ugh. Damn it.'_ Kurenai mentally told herself as she picked the red lacey lingerie dress along with the silk robe that matched it. She took her towel and used it to wrap her _sexy _outfit.

* * *

Kakashi came out of the bathroom in his blue sweatpants and white sleeveless undershirt. Kurenai took notice of the tattoo he had on his left arm. It was a symbol of the land of fire which he got when he entered the ANBU. Kakashi rarely showed it because it was often concealed by his long-sleeved Jonin uniform.

"You can use the shower now." Kakashi said nonchalantly as he passed by Kurenai who hugged a towel to herself.

"Okay. Thanks." Kurenai simply replied as she rushed to the bathroom with cheeks as red as a tomato.

She closed the door shut and leaned on it as she still hugged her bundle of towel, clothes and small pouch of toiletries.

'_I find it really unfair that Kakashi's hot despite the fact that he's not doing any effort at all.'_ She thought to herself, sighing, before she stripped off her clothes to take a shower.

* * *

Kurenai had a towel wrapped around her as she skeptically looked at the thin piece of clothing she held in front of her.

She gulped as she looked at the red lacey thong that she was supposed to wear. Her ruby-like eyes were as round as saucers.

"Y-you can do this Kurenai." She whispered to herself hesitantly, until she changed her mind.

"No! What are you thinking… No you can't!" She hissed as she looked at the ground and sighed.

"If it's for Kakashi… You can? What could possibly go wrong right?" She told herself, trying to be optimistic until she changed her mind again.

"Everything's wrong! This is so wrong!" She burst. She gasped and hit her head as she mentally scolded herself. It didn't take long for Kakashi to come knocking at the bathroom door to check up on her.

"Kurenai? Are you okay? I heard you scream in there." Kakashi said. Kurenai didn't answer as she didn't know what to say.

"Kurenai? I'm gonna kick this door open right now if you don't answer."Kakashi warned. He was worried about her. Kakashi was about to kick the door using his Taijutsu when Kurenai spoke.

"I'm fine. Kakashi… I just dropped the soap in the umm… in the toilet…" Kurenai lied.

"Oh… Is that all?" Kakashi asked as he leaned on the door to listen to her.

"Yes… Do you happen to have an extra soap I can use?" Kurenai asked as she bit her lip in embarrassment.

"Ummm… Yeah…I have another one in the cabinet." Kakashi replied as he sighed in relief.

* * *

'_Stupid!'_Kurenai scolded herself. She couldn't think clearly anymore. She was all worked up because of her honeymoon and she was getting all stressed out.

She took a deep breath and decided to calm down. She took her phone from the pouch she brought inside and dialed Anko's number. It took about three rings for her to answer.

"Yo Girl! What's up? Did you see my gift? Did you like it? What did Kakashi say?" Anko said excitedly as soon as she took Kurenai's call.

"Anko! You're a crazy woman! How could you do such a thing! That was pure evil!" Kurenai hissed over the phone.

"Come on! I picked the best sexy outfits for you! You should be happy." Anko said as she rolled her eyes.

"Happy?! Do you think I'm happy? This is driving me insane!" Kureani argued as she scratched her head in frustration.

"Woah, girl. Chill. You should be having fun on your honeymoon. What's all the fuzz?" Anko asked worriedly. As much as she liked teasing her friend, she knew Kurenai needed her as a mature adult.

Kurenai let out another sigh.

"It's just that…I don't think the outfits you gave me fit."Kurenai said, making Anko panic.

"What?! I was sure I had the right size! I can't go wrong! Did you perhaps get fat or something?!" Anko asked, making Kurenai sweat-drop.

"That's not what I meant, okay? It's just that… I don't think I'm sexy enough to pull this thing off. You know… After pregnancy, I've changed. Let's face it. I'm just not the same Kurenai anymore. I'm not _sexy _and I've gained weight and some stretch marks here and there. It's embarrassing, Anko, really." Kurenai said, voicing out all her insecurities. "You know how Kakashi had always been perfect. He's handsome. He's smart. He's the 6th hokage and a lot of girls admire him.-Girls who are far more beautiful than I am."

"Wait. Hold up! Are you for real? Kurenai, first of all, you shouldn't be embarrassed about yourself. You're the strongest, most beautiful person I know and don't you remember all those teachers in the academy courting you when they found out that you're a single mom? Trust me; you still have It.-Your charm and charisma. It's not genjutsu at all. Second… Gained weight? Are you sure? 'Coz you totally maintained your figure. You're _one hot momma, _Kurenai. Jeez. Third, it's normal for women to have stretch marks, especially for one who had just gave birth to a child. Giving birth to Mirai is one of the most amazing things you've done in your life and that's worth more than being flawless or having a perfect figure. Lastly, Kakashi loves you. In his eyes, you're perfect and far more beautiful than anyone else." Anko advised, making Kurenai feel less worried.

Kurenai smiled. She knew that Anko would always know what to say to her.

"Thanks, Anko." She said.

"Anytime, girlfriend. So, have you made up your mind? Are you gonna wear the _sexy outfit_ and drive Kakashi insane tonight?" Anko asked excitedly as she giggled over the phone.

Kurenai rolled her eyes.

"It's not like I have a choice right? You took all my decent nightwear." Kurenai answered in a sarcastic manner, before she and Anko had a good laugh.

"You should go. Don't keep him waiting." Anko reminded, before she and Kurenai hung up.

* * *

Kurenai slipped on the red lacey thong that she was too hesitant to wear a while ago. She also changed into the red lacey lingerie dress. She fixed her hair and took a deep breath as she wore her red silk robe.

She took one last look on the mirror.

'_Here goes nothing…'_

* * *

_**A.N. Hi guys! It's been a long time since I've updated. I hope you're still reading this. Anyway… I've been thinking about writing a lemon chapter. What do you guys think? /**_

_**Anyway, this chapter was quite long, neh? I hope it wasn't boring and I hope you guys enjoyed reading.**_

_**Please do feel free to send your comments and tell me whether I should write a lemon chap or not.**_

_**With love,**_

_**~Kei-chan 3**_


	4. Perfection

**Title: Beyond Rivalry  
Chapter 4: Perfection  
Pairing: Kakashi X Kurenai**

* * *

_**A.N. This is a rated chapter. It contains lemon.**_

* * *

"What do you mean you can't find the files about the Rehabilitation Project? It's neatly kept in the shelf in my office, Naruto. I can't go wrong. I always keep my office neat and tidy to find things easily." Kakashi said in a calm manner as he paced back and forth in his room in panic while he held his phone. He scratched his head in a frustrated manner as he continued to listen to his student over the line. He couldn't help but feel nervous about how things are going on back in the village.

Kakashi didn't expect for one of Naruto's toads to arrive that night. When he took the scroll from Gamakichi, he couldn't help but feel worried. He knew Naruto would only send a message if it was really important. Upon reading the letter, Kakashi immediately gave his students a call. He rarely used technology and preferred to summon Pakkun to deliver the scroll to them, but since it would take long for Pakkun to deliver a scroll, he decided to use his phone to attend to the situation immediately. He also hoped that the circumstance didn't have to require him to cut his five-day vacation. He and Kurenai had planned the trip for months. Also, it was their honeymoon. Kurenai would be totally upset if they'd have to go home right away.

Kakashi expected things to go smoothly. He trusted his comrades, most especially his students, deeply. He didn't anticipate for things in the village to go out of hand on the first two nights that he had left Konoha.

Kakashi had been working on the Post-War Rehabilitation Project with Naruto and Sasuke. He spent sleepless nights to make the report and he was to hand out the copies to his fellow kages. He entrusted the certain materials to Naruto while he was gone. He gave him certain instructions, the keys to his office and even instructed the jonin assigned to guard the Hokage's Residence to allow his students to enter his office.

Kakashi couldn't believe that the files are missing. He couldn't help but panic at the situation. Deep inside, he was screaming furiously.

In the background Kakashi could hear Sasuke and Sakura scolding Naruto.

"This is your entire fault, you dimwit!" Sasuke growled.

"I told you this wasn't a good idea! You should have at least waited until he came back from his honeymoon. How could you guys be so inconsiderate?" Sakura said.

Kakashi could almost imagine the chaos among his students as of the moment. He let out an exasperated sigh as he massaged his nose bridge.

"Just tell me what happened. How did you… misplace it?" Kakashi asked.

"It happened when Octopops came to visit. I was-"

Naruto was immediately cut off by Kakashi just when he was starting to narrate what had happened.

"Wait. You mean Bee-sama was there?!" Kakashi's tone rose as the anxiety took over him. He knew how chaotic situations get whenever Killer Bee and Naruto got together. "What else, happened, Naruto?"

Naruto gulped over the line. Kakashi's voice had become stern.

"Well… I went to your office to get the files because Sasuke and I were going to review them for the upcoming presentation that we're going to do on the Kage's Summit that is to be held next month in our village and then…. Octopops came and something crashed and the next thing we knew… Your office ummm…. Well… hehe…" Naruto explained nervously. Kakashi's eyes widened as soon as he was able to get a bigger picture of what happened.

"YOU. TRASHED. MY OFFICE?!"Kakashi asked in a shocked and furious tone. He heard Naruto yelp over the line. He could picture his student's nervous expression over the line.

"Sensei, we're doing our best to find it-"

"You can't just do your best. You HAVE TO FIND IT. I leave you guys for a while and this is what happens? I haven't even been gone for long and I already have to deal with this?-On my honeymoon?" Kakashi reprimanded. He let out a frustrated sigh before he continued, "I don't think you could understand how important this is to me. This Rehabilitation Project is crucial for the village. I expected a lot from you. I thought this would mean as much to you as much as it means to me. I am very disappointed in the two of you, Naruto, Sasuke."

Kakashi was deeply crestfallen and was in the mood to go on with his lecturing until he heard Kurenai come out of the bathroom. Upon hearing the creaking sound of the door and the sound of his wife's footsteps, Kakashi instinctively turned to Kurenai's direction.

The Sixth Hokage, found himself speechless as he 'listened' to Naruto's explanations, without even comprehending them as he focused his attention to his wife, who at that moment was wearing a silky red robe that stopped at about three inches above her knees. The robe was also slightly opened which gave Kakashi a little preview of what Kurenai was wearing underneath the robe. He unconsciously bit his lower lip at the sight as he went silent while Naruto kept on rambling over the phone. It took Naruto a few seconds to notice that Kakashi's attention to him had started to waver since he failed to respond to him.

"Sensei, are you still there?" Naruto asked. There was a hint of confusion in his tone. Kakashi once again, failed to respond as Kurenai came closer. He hitched a breath as soon as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You seem to be busy… Problem at work?" Kurenai asked her voice sounded so _silky _and _seductive. _Kakashi almost dropped his phone as he shivered, hearing Kurenai's sexy voice. Kurenai looked so beautiful, especially in the color red. Kakashi figured that the color red was something he'd associate well with Kurenai. He couldn't decide whether it was because of her crimson eyes that to him were her best features or the fact that most of her wardrobe were of the color red. To him, her preference of the color red was one of the most interesting things about her, because to him, no one else could work the color red as perfectly as Kurenai does.

Kakashi couldn't concentrate. His thoughts about Konoha soon drifted as he let himself become stunned by Kurenai's beauty. His onyx orbs met her ruby-like eyes as he met her gaze. He couldn't help but get lost in her gorgeous eyes. He figured that they were much more powerful than his sharingan. Her gaze was so tantalizing he felt hypnotized.

"No… T-There's no problem at all… E-everything's fine…" Kakashi stammered, struggling to reply as his mind went blank. He totally forgot that Naruto was still on the line. "I-I was just checking on people… kids… students… You know…"

Kakashi let out a nervous laugh as Kurenai inched closer. It took him a few more seconds to remember that he was still on the phone talking to Naruto. His face heated up in embarrassment. He cleared his throat and tried to maintain his composure.

Kakashi knew that he shouldn't be neglecting his work back in the village. A part of him was worried about having to redo the report if Naruto and Sasuke don't find the files that he needed for the project proposal, but all the worry he felt seemed to vanish when he saw Kurenai. All of a sudden, he seemed to care less if he'd had to redo the whole project proposal after he comes back from their honeymoon. At that moment when he met Kurenai's crimson orbs, he felt like nothing else mattered. He realized how foolish he was, thinking about work when he had his lovely wife right in front of him. He shouldn't be neglecting his wife for a problem that his careless students caused. It was so wrong. As of that moment, he figured, it wasn't his problem, anymore.

It seemed selfish and wrong in a way. He was the Sixth Hokage and even if he's married to Kurenai, he was also married to the village until someone else takes over. But Kakashi shrugged off thoughts that had nothing to do with Kurenai. He knew he barely had time for her and at that moment, it was their honeymoon. He shouldn't be neglecting her, especially when she had done a _special_ _effort _for him that night.

"Listen, Naruto…." He began. "I-I'm kind of busy right now. I'll try to call you some other time… Or I'll just deal with you as soon as I get back to the village."

"But Sensei I-" Naruto tried to argue but he was cut off as soon as Kakashi ended the call and placed his phone on the side table drawer.

He scratched his head sheepishly as he grinned at his beautiful wife.

"I'm sorry about that…" He said as his expression softened. He gave Kurenai a genuine smile as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Where were we again?"

Kakashi blushed at the sudden slip of the tongue. He felt his face heat up in embarrassment when he saw Kurenai raise an eyebrow at him. She had a playful smirk on her face and she giggled, before she grabbed on to his white, sleeveless undershirt and pulled him closer to her, causing him to yelp in shock at her sudden move. Kurenai pressed her soft red lips against Kakashi's ear and whispered, "Kakashi, we haven't even started yet…"

Shivers ran through Kakashi's spine as he felt Kurenai's breath against his skin. He was still in shock when Kurenai made another move and pressed him to the nearest wall, as soon as she caught him off guard.

Kakashi's eyes widened at her abrupt action. He took one moment to catch his breath before he found himself responding to Kurenai's soft kiss. He kept his back pressed comfortably against the wall as he held her in his arms, feeling her warmth while he tilted his head to deepen their kiss.

The kiss seemed to go on for eternity until the couple decided to pull away for some air. Kakashi struggled to catch his breath as Kurenai seemed to have taken his breath away. He took a few moments to gaze at her and observe her beautiful features under the moonlight. He ran his fingers through her long, dark, wavy hair and tucked her bangs behind her ear before he gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead.

As soon as Kakashi regained his composure he locked his lips against Kurenai's, kissing her passionately while he also took the opportunity to distract her as he switched places with her, pinning her against the wall as he decided to take over.

He slowly untied the knot that was keeping Kurenai's silk robe closed. As soon as he was able to open Kurenai's robe, he gently slid it off of her shoulders. Kurenai on the other hand, let the robe fall down to the ground, giving him a perfect view of her_ surprise for him _that night.

Kurenai was left in her red, lacey, lingerie dress. The clothing was incredibly thin and see-through, so he had a better view of what's _underneath._ He was stunned as he gazed at her.

Kurenai's cheeks flushed crimson red as she felt his gaze on her. She bit her lower lip and looked at the ground, feeling a bit embarrassed. Kakashi took notice of this and lifted her head up by the chin and made her look into his eyes. He gave her a smile that simply took her breath away.

"You're beautiful." He said sincerely which made her heart flutter against her chest. All of a sudden, she felt her insecurities slowly drifting away. He had just told her that she is beautiful. She knew it was childish, but she felt so giddy about it.

Kurenai let out a soft sigh as she felt Kakashi's lips travel to her jaw line then down to her neck. She tilted her head to the side and let the straps of lingerie fall from her shoulders, giving him better access to her bare skin. She clutched his shirt as he nipped on the soft spot on her neck, marking her as his.

She froze when she felt his hands slip into her lingerie dress, gently touching her bare skin. It didn't take long for Kakashi to discard her lingerie dress as well, leaving her in her lacey brassiere and _thong._ Kurenai felt that it was unfair that she had almost been fully stripped from her clothing and Kakashi was still fully clothed. She decided she wanted his shirt off of him. She aggressively pulled his shirt up as she kissed him, letting him slide his tongue into her mouth as he kissed her with so much passion before he pulled away from the kiss to comply with what she wanted to do.

Kakashi took off his white sleeveless undershirt and threw it among the clothes that were already among the floor, giving her a view of his well-toned torso. He lifted Kurenai up and she impulsively wrapped her legs around his waist. She gasped when she felt _something hard _poking at her _lower area. _She blushed when she found out what _it _was.

He gently placed her on the bed and got on top of her before he sealed their lips in another fervent kiss. She let out a soft moan when she felt his hand against her inner thigh, travelling _upwards. _She gasped as he gently touched her _womanhood _through the incredibly thin clothing of her provocative underwear.

Kakashi smirked upon hearing her sweet moans that sounded like music to his ears. He gently kissed her as he lifted her up so she could sit up straight. She arched her back as his lips travelled to her jawline to her neck and then to her collarbone. He ran his fingers through her long black hair and search for the hook that was holding her bra together. His lips curved into a triumphant smirk as soon as he was able to unhook it. She gasped as he threw her bra to the pile of clothes that were left scattered on the floor. She flushed a deeper shade of crimson as she felt his gaze on her chest. Her instincts told her to cover her exposed upper part, but she was stopped when he caught her arms and pinned them against the soft mattress.

She was taken by surprise when Kakashi pressed his lips against her breast, sucking on the right one before he switched to the left as she lay down underneath him and writhed in pleasure.

"Kakashi…" She moaned as he touched her at the right places, pleasuring her in the gentlest way he can.

* * *

Heat rushed through Kurenai's veins as soon as all of her and Kakashi's clothes were discarded to the ground. She observed his features in the moonlight. Kakashi looked utterly handsome. Her gaze travelled to the scar near his left eye, a long ragged line that ran from his eyelid and stopped right above his left cheek. She brought up her hand as she gingerly touched the scar with her fingertips as he closed his left eye.

Her eyes traveled down to the beauty mark near his chin then down to the uneven and various lines on his chest, scars from previous battles, each one had a different story. Kurenai bit her lip as she gently touched him. She looked into his eyes and contemplated at how perfect Kakashi seemed in her eyes. She loved him too much that even his flaws seemed so perfect to her as well.

Unknown to Kurenai, Kakashi was thinking the same things about her as well. He let himself get lost in her eyes, the crimson eyes that he loved so much before he closed the distance between them and kissed her soft, red lips once again. He ran his hand through her thigh, lifting it a little to wrap it around his waist. As soon as he got her signal, he thrust into her, making her moan pleasurably and in his ears as she gripped the sheets tight while he made love to her that night.

* * *

Kakashi collapsed next to his wife after they had both climax. The couple pulled the sheets up as they lay down on the bed next to each other. Kurenai rested her head against her husband's chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat. He kissed the top of her head as he tried to keep his heartbeat and breathing steady after the intense moment he had with her. He whispered an "I love you to her" to which she responded to with and "I love you too," before they both drifted into slumber.

* * *

_**A.N. Hi guys! This is my first KakaKure Lemon. I'm sorry I took too long to update. I felt a bit uneasy and awkward while writing it. I'm sorry if it's not as good as other lemons and if it's not detailed and all. I just felt that taking things into detail would make it less romantic. Also, I'm not into hardcore smut/lemon writing. Haha **_

_**I hope you guys liked it and I hope you tell me what you guys think about this chapter. Haha.**_

_**I would like to thank my favorite, author and friend, scorpiowarrior who has been consistently supporting me with my mission to spread KakaKure Love. Haha. Thank you so much for reading my fics and for not judging me. Hahaha **_

_**And to all my readers, whether you're silent or active in sending comments, thank you for putting up with a crappy author like me who gets constant writer's block and gives you the notion that her stories will be discontinued and then updates in 123456 months or years. Hahaha**_

_**I love you all and I hope you guys keep reading. **_

_**With Love,**_

_**~Kei-chan.**_

_**P.S. I'm sorry if I have typos and grammatical errors. It's almost 1am and I'm sleepy, I wasn't able to proofread it. Gomenasai .**_


	5. Morning Agenda

**Title: Beyond Rivalry  
Chapter 5: Morning Agenda  
Pairing: Kakashi X Kurenai**

* * *

Kakashi's eyes fluttered open as the sun's rays touched his face. He shifted his position to focus his attention on the lovely woman who slept soundly beside him. He gently ran his fingers through her dark locks and tucked them behind her ear so that he can have a better view of her beautiful face. His gaze travelled to her long dark lashes, her perfectly shaped nose and then to her soft red lips that complemented her fair skin. He smiled to himself as he kept silent and observed her beautiful features. He decided that he didn't want to wake her up. He wanted to cherish the moment. She looked so peaceful in her sleep.

'_She must've been tired because of last night…' _He thought. A small smile formed his lips as a faint blush stained his cheeks.

Kurenai stirred in her sleep. She shifted her position and turned so that her back was facing him. Kakashi gulped at the sight of her bare back before him. He failed to hold back from touching her as he moved closer to her and wrapped an arm around her waist, feeling her warmth against his. _'I could get used to mornings like these.' _He said to himself as his lips made contact with her bare shoulder, eventually waking her up.

Kurenai found herself in Kakashi's warm embrace as her eyes opened. As soon as Kakashi noticed this, he greeted her with a soft, "Good morning." Shivers went down her spine as she felt her husband's breath against her ear.

'_Kakashi's just-woke-up voice sounds so sexy…' _She thought to herself, her cheeks flushing a thousand shades of red at the thought.

"Good morning…" She squeaked, her back still pressed on his chest. There was no way she'd turn around and face him and show him that she's blushing.

The two stayed silent, feeling each other's warmth, enjoying each other's company, until Kakashi spoke,

"Did you sleep well last night?"

Kurenai blushed as the words; _last night _rang in her ears. The memory was still fresh in her head and Kakashi's deep _sexy _morning voice, was not helping her keep her thoughts _clean._

"Mhmm…" She replied humming. She decided to finally turn around to face him to avoid the awkward atmosphere between them. She held the covers up to her chin as she looked at her husband. "I should probably get up and make breakfast." She said as she fidgeted. She was about to get up when Kakashi pulled her to him. She gasped as her cheek made contact with his bare chest.

"It can wait. Stay." He insisted as he held her to him. Kurenai blushed as she rested her head against his chest. She could hear his heart beat. It made her calm for a moment but the thought that she's lying on bed with him, barely clothed made her a bit uneasy. She decided to pull away, her soft hands brushed against Kakashi's torso in the process. He bit his lower lip as he tried to stifle a groan coming from his mouth.

Kurenai gasped as she was pinned to the bed with Kakashi's swift move. Her eyes widened as she laid down on the bed and looked at him who smirked at her.

"You're such a tease, you know that?" He said in a _frustrated_ manner as he looked into her astonished crimson eyes.

'_His morning voice… Gosh, I could get used to that morning voice._' She thought. She slowly breathed as she felt his lips against her ear.

"You think you can get away easily?" He asked. His tone was challenging before he pressed his body against hers, pulling the covers up for another round that morning.

* * *

After what had happened earlier, Kakashi insisted that he should make breakfast that morning. Kurenai couldn't argue anymore. She was excited about Kakashi making breakfast for her, after all, she had always been the one doing things like that for the two of them. Kurenai was used to seeing Kakashi as a shinobi, as the village's current hokage. She wanted to how he's like as a family man. Because of his hectic schedule, Kakashi rarely had time to do things at home for Kurenai and Mirai.

"What are you making?" She asked curiously as she watched him prepare the ingredients for his dish. She observed him as he meticulously cut strips of cheese and minced the button mushrooms.

"Omurice." Kakashi replied as he started beating the eggs in a bowl.

"I'm starving." Kurenai complained jokingly. She giggled as she watched him pick up the pace. She also couldn't help but find him adorable in _'his' _pink frilly apron.

It turns out the only apron in the vacation house is that particular apron. The apron belonged to Kakashi's mom. His dad used it every time they'd stay there. They never bothered to buy a new one because they only stayed there for special occasions.

"Give me ten minutes." He said as he focused on his cooking.

"That's too long…" Kurenai pretended to sulk as she stood up to go to the living room. She went near the shelf and took a photo album to look at in order to entertain herself. She smiled as she flipped pages to see pictures of Kakashi when he was a child. Kakashi had a lot of candid shots. Kurenai figured, his parents must've loved taking pictures of Kakashi, after all, he was their only child.

Kurenai noticed how Kakashi looked very cheerful as kid. It surprised her, in a way. She saw how repressive he became with his emotions ever since his dad died. She realized how life has changed him throughout the years. The war took away Kakashi's view of a wonderful world. It took a way his innocence. It took away people he loved. It made him seem cold to people who barely knew him.

Of course, Kurenai understood that Kakashi's trying to be more expressive. She could see his changes. She saw his caring and loving side which he rarely shows to people. She could see how he loves her in Mirai despite not being too vocal about it. He spoke louder in actions than in words. Though, Kurenai could notice that he was still holding back at times. She wished she could see him in the present just as how he was in his childhood pictures. - Carefree and happy.

Kurenai snapped out of her reverie when she heard Kakashi call her for breakfast. She placed the album back in its shelf and ran to the dining area to eat breakfast with Kakashi.

* * *

"You seem to be _very _hungry." He remarked teasingly as he observed his wife eat the breakfast he prepared. Kurenai had to admit. Her husband's cooking was very delicious, maybe even more delicious than her own.

Kakashi had been very independent after all. When his dad died, he had to do things on his own and he figured it out the hard way.

"This is the best omurice I've ever tasted."Kurenai complimented before she took a sip of coffee from her mug.

"You're just hungry that's all." Kakashi humbly replied before he brought his spoon to his mouth.

"Probably." Kurenai agreed. "After what you _did?-_In the morning, in _bed _and then in the _shower!_ Hatake Kakashi, you're insane." Her cheeks heated up in embarrassment after recalling the incident earlier.

"It was your fault." Kakashi shrugged and then he chuckled, making Kurenai even more embarrassed.

"How is it my fault now, Mr. Hokage?" She asked furiously as she grabbed the salt and pepper shakers next to her and threatened to throw them at Kakashi who raised his hands in surrender.

"You made it hard for me resist you, Lady Kurenai." Kakashi said as he winked at her and gave her a sheepish grin. Kurenai blushed at his statement and looked away to avoid his gaze. She frowned and muttered, "You must've got that line from your books again."

"Stop ruining the moment. I'm trying to be romantic here." Kakashi hissed as he poked his omelet with a fork. Kurenai couldn't help but laugh. She wasn't used to Kakashi being all cheesy and clingy, but she appreciated his effort, also, she figured he looked cute despite being a bit awkward when he does it.

* * *

Despite some changes that had happened around the island, Kakashi still knew the place very well. It was his second home, after all. After breakfast, Kurenai kept bugging him about their agenda for that day but Kakashi kept his mouth shut. He wanted it to be a surprise.

After a ten-minute walk about west from the vacation house, they arrived at small cottage that had a signage made from drift wood. Kurenai had a confused look on her face as she and her husband went closer to the cottage which turned out to be a teahouse. Kakashi pushed the door open and the chimes by it produced a nice sound.

The place was simple and was designed with driftwood furniture. It had a nice warm feel to it and smelled like Jasmine Tea. Kurenai also noticed a picture Kaede and Sakumo with a toddler version of Kakashi hung up to the wall. It was bordered with a framed made from driftwood.

Before the couple could even walk towards the counter, a man of about seventy years of age approached them with a smile. He had a cane to help him walk and he wore eyeglasses.

"Kashi-kun! Long time no see!" The man greeted enthusiastically as he gave Kakashi a hug. Kakashi's face heated up in embarrassment upon hearing the man address him with the nickname his parents used to call him. He wasn't used to hearing people call him with his nickname anymore. Also, he felt that the nickname Kashi-kun didn't sound right for a grown man like him, though, he did have a nice warm feeling in his heart. Despite being away from the place, the people still remembered him and considered him a part of them. They welcomed him with open arms. Kakashi was indeed grateful.

"Ojiichan, it's good to see you too." Kakashi said after he pulled away from the embrace. The man then turned to an old woman attending to some customers. The woman was about the same age as the man. She had white streaks in her hair. Like him, she wore glasses and had a bit of difficulty of walking. She had a pink apron on.-The apron looked somehow familiar to Kurenai. She also held a tray that had a pot of nice warm tea.

"Chiasa, come over here! It's Kashi. After so many years, he decided to pay us a visit." The man said the woman almost dropped her pot of tea upon seeing Kakashi. Though it was difficult for her she rushed towards Kakashi excitedly. She gave him a pat on the arm and smiled.

"It's really you! You look so much like your father but you're a splitting image of Kaede-chan as well." She said.

"Obachan, you still look good. How have you and Ojiichan been?" Kakashi greeted with a smile.

"We're doing good. The business is still running even after so many years. We've heard so much about you. I heard you became a teacher and after the great shinobi war you became your village's Hokage. I'm sure Kaede-chan and Sakumo-kun will be proud watching you from up there." She said. Kakashi felt a slight pang in his heart.- Something he always feels when his parents are mentioned.

Chiasa then turned to Kurenai who bowed respectfully and smiled. The old woman smiled upon Kurenai's warm and polite gesture.

"And who's this lovely lady over here." She asked. Kakashi grinned as he wrapped an arm around Kurenai's waist.

"Ojiichan, Obachan, this is Kurenai. She's my wife." He introduced. "Kurenai, I want you to meet Eito and Chiasa Sato. They're kind of… How do you call this… They're basically my grandparents…"

* * *

_**A.N. Hi Guys! Sorry for the cliffhanger. Haha. Are you shocked that Kakashi still has a family? Hahaha. The next chapter will make things clearer. Also I plan to write a chapter about how Kakashi's parents met. Hihi. It will take a little while before Kenji and Yumiko would come in the picture. The first few chapters will mostly be about the couples' lives. Hihihi**_

_**I hope you guys love the story so far and I hope I'm not that slow-paced. I'm sorry if I am though.**_

_**Please feel free to send your comments. 3**_

_**With love,**_

_**~Kei-chan**_


	6. Of Crops and Maple

**Title: Beyond Rivalry  
Chapter 6: Of Crops and Maple (Special Chapter)  
Pairing: Kakashi X Kurenai**

* * *

Eito and Chiasa Sato were by far the warmest elderly people that Kurenai had ever met. Usually, people their age are known to be moody or cranky because of certain side effects of aging. Kurenai could recall how ill-tempered the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen can be back in the days. Kakashi's predecessor, Senju Tsunade wasn't even _that old yet _and she has been recognized by many for being such a grumpy woman.

For Kurenai, meeting Kakashi's grandparents was truly refreshing. She appreciated their hospitality and kindness. She admired how they radiated an incredibly vibrant energy, as if everything around them was positive and wonderful. She sensed no negative vibe in them. Their aura was captivating and she couldn't help but become drawn to them in an instant. Despite having known them for only a short span of time, she immediately felt that they were family.

Kurenai however, found it shocking that Kakashi still had a family who lived miles away from him. For so long she had thought that the only family he had were his parents who died so early. She wondered why Kakashi never spoke about his grandparents who lived in an island miles away from his home, an island so small that it merely existed in their map.

She kept her hands wrapped around the nice warm cup of Jasmine Tea that Chiasa served as she pondered on some thoughts. She remained silent as she took a sip from her cup of tea. She took one moment to inhale the nice scent of the tea. She immediately understood the reason why their business has been going strong throughout the years.-Mr. and Mrs. Sato make the most amazing tea in the entire world.

"So, how long have the two of you been married?" Chiasa asked curiously, breaking the silence among them, trying to catch up with her grandson's life.

"Actually, we just got married recently; we're here for our honeymoon." Kakashi replied with a smile. "I wanted to show her around here and also introduce her to you. I didn't want to cause you the trouble of travelling miles away from here. So, we went here to see you."

"Well, that's sweet." Chiasa remarked. She appreciated Kakashi's effort. At first, she couldn't help but become upset deep down in her heart that Kakashi, in a way forgot about them and didn't even invite them to his and Kurenai's wedding, but when he explained, she understood, after all, she and Eito are already too old for travelling.

Kurenai on the other hand, never had a clue about meeting Kakashi's grandparents during the trip. She thought he brought her to the island so that he could bring her to the vacation house that had always been a special place for him.

"Neh, Kashi-kun, we have a lot to catch up on. It has been a long time since you last visited us." Eito spoke as he looked his grandson. Despite the length of time that they hadn't seen each other and despite how different he seemed from the little boy that he once was, Eito knew that Kakashi was still the grandson that he loved.

"But, before that, we should get to know his lovely wife first, right Eito?" Chiasa said as she turned to the crimson-eyed woman who happened to be her grandson's wife. The old woman was delighted to finally have a granddaughter in Kurenai's persona. She looked at her and noticed that she still seemed shy. Chiasa wanted to make her feel more comfortable.

Kurenai gave the old lady a shy smile. She looked at Chiasa and Eito for a while. She realized that for some odd reason, Kakashi had no resemblance of them. She figured that maybe, Kakashi just inherited more of his father's side's features. She also considered the thought that it's difficult to tell any resemblance since Eito's and Chiasa's features may have changed through aging.

"Tell us something about yourself, Kurenai. Don't be shy." Eito swayed. Kurenai bit her lip and thought for a while. For some reason it seemed as though she had no idea who she was. Her mind went blank in an instant. She just didn't know what t say.

"Well… I…" She began bashfully. "I have a daughter. I had her way back before Kakashi and I realized that we're for each other. Her name's Mirai. She's three years old."

Kurenai was nervous for a while. She feared that Chiasa and Eito might think differently about her. Most conservative adults find it impure for a woman to have a child before marriage and then remarry. For some time, Kurenai have been judged by immature people in the village. She was afraid that she would give Kakashi's grandparents a bad impression about herself. But she figured, no matter what happens, there was no way she'd deny her daughter. She loved Mirai so much to keep her a secret especially from people who technically, were supposed to be her family too.

Chiasa and Eito both sensed the uneasiness in Kurenai. They understood how society can become so judgmental. In a way, they had an idea about what ran in her mind.-She feared that they may not accept Mirai for not a single drop of Kakashi's blood run through her veins, but that was not how they felt. They knew Kakashi loved Mirai like his own daughter and they understood that kind of love for it was the same kind of love that they felt for his mother, Yoshida Kaede…

"So, we already have a granddaughter? How lovely! We look forward to meeting her someday."Chiasa remarked excitedly. Kurenai felt relieved. She realized that Chiasa and Eito were really good people. She felt guilty about thinking wrongly about them.

"Do you by chance, have a picture with you?" Eito asked. Kakashi immediately brought out a wallet sized picture of the three of them. The picture was taken during the lantern festival. It was the same picture that he hung in the vacation house; the size was the only thing that's different.

"She seems like a lovely kid. You have a very wonderful family." Eito remarked and Chiasa agreed. Kurenai couldn't help but smile. She was glad that the old couple seemed to easily accept her child. She felt a sense of belongingness. She had a good feeling that they'll be good grandparents to Mirai.

"By the way, did Kashi ever tell you stories about his mother?" Eito asked curiously. He wanted to welcome his _'graddaughter in law' _officially to the family. He wanted to start with a certain story.-A story he and his wife never get tired of telling. He also figured that the story will help Kurenai become more comfortable with them. He noticed that Kurenai still kept an invisible barrier between them. He wanted to warm her up a little.

"I don't even know much about mother. How could I tell my wife things about her?" Kakashi said as he rolled his eyes. "And if you're thinking about retelling mother and father's love story again, please don't. I've heard that story a million times already."

"Well I haven't!" Kurenai protested against her husband. She then turned to her _'grandparents in law' _and started, "Umm… Sato-san-"

"Please, dear don't be so formal with us. Just call us Ojiichan and Obaachan." Chiasa insisted and Kurenai smiled as she nodded in agreement.

"Ojiichan, Obaachan, I'd be really pleased to hear the story."Kurenai said excitedly. Kakashi sighed. He had heard the story so many times back when he was a child. Just thinking about hearing of it again, made him feel nostalgic.

"Lighten up, Kashi. If you're tired of being the listener, you can help us with the story-telling." Chiasa suggested.

"Okay, so here's how the story goes…" Eito began. "It was when Kirigakure attacked our island; we found a young girl, trapped under a basement of a house. Her name was… Yoshida Kaede…"

* * *

_Cold. Alone. _

_A young girl with brown hair and hazel brown eyes sat in a dark escape room under her house, shivering from the freezing coldness of the night and from fear as well. She tried to listen to sounds coming from outside of where she was hiding, but she heard none. It was quiet. The silence was deafening. _

_She knew they were gone. 'They' got her parents. There was no point in denying. She knew that soon, they'll come for her as well. _

_She accepted her fate as soon as she heard footsteps, getting louder. They were coming closer. The door to her secret hiding place opened. She huddled in one corner and sobbed._

"_Please don't hurt me." She begged. She flinched when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She expected to be dragged violently, but much to her surprise, she was given a light pat on the shoulder. She lifted her head up and saw a couple before her. The man crouched down to look at her. He noticed that tears stained the young girl's fair cheeks. Her eyes were red and puffy because of crying. The woman held her in her arms._

"_Shh… It's gonna be okay. We're not gonna hurt you." The woman said, soothingly. The girl sobbed on the woman's shoulder. Then she looked up to her and asked, "My parents? Are they…"_

_Her voice faded into silence as she looked at the woman who gazed at her with sad eyes. _

"_I'm sorry, child, but…" The man didn't get to finish what he had to say. The girl sobbed uncontrollably. She had already accepted that her parents could've been killed protecting her, but deep in her heart she still hoped that they were still alive. She knew they were strong. They could've put up a fight. When the couple confirmed that her parents were gone forever, it hurt her so badly. She would never get to see them again…_

"_I know it's hard, dear, but you have to be strong. We have to go, now. They might come back and find us here. We have to leave to a safe place immediately. Don't worry. We'll take care of you. We can be your new family from now on." The woman said as she wiped the young girl's tears._

* * *

"So, Kakashi's mom was never really your daughter?" Kurenai asked in an astonished manner. She immediately understood why she never saw any of resemblance of their features in Kakashi's.

Eito let out a soft chuckle as he looked at his crimson-eyed _granddaughter in law_ who blushed, thinking that she had said something impolite out of shock.

"People often think that the meaning of family is only limited to being blood related… Here in Tear Drop Island, everyone is family regardless of whom they are or where they came from. Kaede-chan, didn't come from us, not a single drop of our blood ran in her veins, but she is still our daughter, because we love her…"Eito said he then turned to Kakashi and gave him a knowing look. Kurenai then turned to her husband as well and smiled. She realized how love could truly connect people.-Just like how love connected Eito and Chiasa to Kaede and love connected Kakashi and Mirai.

'_Family isn't merely defined through the blood that rushes in one's veins.'_ She finally understood and she thought it to be something lovely that she'd have to keep in her heart and mind.

"Anyway…" Chiasa said as she decided to continue the story. She was excited at how Kurenai had started to loosen up to them. She was also eager to tell her more about Kaede and Sakumo. "Our Island is miles away from other countries. Our lives were peaceful and far from the life of a shinobi.-That was until the Kirigakure attacked us… Kaede, despite all adversities continued on with her life. She did everything she can to walk away from the sadness she felt when she lost her parents. She helped around in the teashop a lot. She smiled all the time. A lot of our customers admired her for her optimistic attitude."

"Konohagakure came to aid the people here. Senju Tobirama-sama sent reinforcements and some shinobi who would help with the relief operation. Among those ninjas that he sent were The Legendary Sannin and my father…" Kakashi continued. He knew the story by heart. He had heard both sides of it from his grandparents and his father countless times.

* * *

_Hatake Sakumo was a strong shinobi. He was considered elite. He fought hand in hand with the Legendary Sannin. At a young age of eighteen, he was already named the White Fang of Konohagakure. He had great mastery of Kenjutsu and Bukijutsu which he showed through wielding his White Light Chakra Sabre. Because of his incredible talent, he became very popular and made it in a lot of Bingo Books. _

_The young man was known for being a smooth killer. He was sent through various rank-S missions and had killed many during battles. His reputation and recognition as a shinobi made him look dangerous to many, but behind that façade of him was actually a man with a heart of a child._

_The White Fang of the Leaf naturally had a childish and playful side. It was something that not many know of._

_He had not only a sharp mind, but a golden heart as well. The young shinobi radiated an odd kind of innocence that not many who fought at war possess. He remained kind and humble despite being strong and powerful. He didn't want to be the best shinobi. He just wanted to be a good man._

"_Sakumo, we don't have time for this!" The ever-so-impatient Senju Princess, Tsunade hissed at her friend who approached a small puppy who seemed to be trapped by a huge piece of wood._

"_This won't take much time. I just need to help this creature."Sakumo said as he moved closer to the small maltese who was whimpering in pain. Its movements were being restrained by the wood that laid heavily on its small paw. _

_Sakumo slowly lifted the wood up in order to avoid hurting the puppy. The puppy moved away from the wood, limping. Sakumo immediately inspected the puppy and its wounds. He took a first aid kit wrapped the puppy's injured leg with a bandage. The puppy kept whimpering as Sakumo treated to its injuries._

"_There, there, it's okay… You're gonna be okay." Sakumo coed as he gave the puppy a pat on the head. He noticed a silver collar wrapped around its neck. He gently lifted the puppy in his arms and wrapped it around a piece of cloth to keep it warm. He looked at the pendant on the puppy's collar. He noticed something engraved to it. _

'_Cloud…' Sakumo thought, reading the Kanji engraved on the pendant. He looked at the puppy and noticed how white it's fur must've been if it hadn't accumulated a lot of dirt and dust. He figured, its white fur must've been the reason why the puppy was called cloud._

"_Your name's Cloud?" Sakumo asked and the dog barked in response. Sakumo chuckled as he walked towards his friends who have been waiting for him. He had a sheepish smile on his face as he looked at Tsunade, the only girl and medical ninja in their group. Tsunade looked back at him and glared as if she had just read his mind._

"_Tsuna-chan please?" Sakumo begged like a kid asking for candy and Tsunade knew she couldn't say no to him. Sakumo was a bit persuasive. He was stubborn and he'd just use his child-likeness to get whatever he wants. Tsunade sighed as she approached Sakumo. They both sat on a decaying log as she performed medical ninjutsu on the puppy to heal its injured leg._

"_So are you keeping it?" Jiraiya asked curiously as he raised an eyebrow and kept his arms crossed in front of his chest. _

"_It depends. Cloud-kun seems to have an owner. If I don't find his owner, then I guess I'll keep him with me." Sakumo replied with a smile as he gave the puppy another pat on its head. Cloud leaped into Sakumo's arms as soon as Tsunade had finished performing her medical ninjutsu. _

"_Would you like to stay with me, little guy?" Sakumo asked. He laughed as Cloud licked his cheek in response. "I'll take that as a yes! But we have to find your owner first. If we don't find him or her, you're mine for good!" _

_Orochimaru rolled his eyes and massaged his temples in a frustrated manner as he muttered, "I can't believe this. He's acting like a child again."_

_Sakumo simply smiled, ignoring Orochimaru's remark. As soon as they were all set, they headed to where their other colleagues were. Families lined up as the ninjas from Konoha handed out supplies to them. Sakumo, Jiraiya and Orochimaru went to help in handing out the supplies. Tsunade, on the other hand, went with other medical ninjas to treat those who were injured._

_After their shift, Orochimaru immediately went back to the cottage he and his colleagues are staying at to get some rest. Tsunade and Jiraiya went to look for a place where they can grab something to eat. Sakumo on the other hand, decided to ask around about Cloud's owner. Since the island was small and the people were close to one another, it didn't take long for Sakumo to find out that Cloud's owner was a girl named Yoshida Kaede who worked as a waitress in a small teahouse._

_Though Sakumo felt sad about having to give Cloud back to its original owner, he knew that he should do the right thing. He also saw how excited Cloud was whenever Kaede was mentioned. So, he decided to go to the teahouse and give Cloud back to Kaede. Whoever she is…_

_Through following the people's directions, Sakumo was able to reach the Sato Teashop. As he entered, he was welcomed with the nice scent of Jasmine Tea. Sakumo was never fond of drinking tea, but for some reason, he liked the scent of the tea shop. He was immediately greeted by a man who seemed to be in his early 30s._

"_Good Evening, Sir. Table for how many?" The man asked. He was about to answer when he heard a familiar voice call him. He turned to the direction from where he heard the voice and saw Tsunade and Jiraiya waving at him. Turns out the teahouse also served nice warm bowls of Miso Soup and the two decided to eat there._

"_He's with us, Ojisama." Jiraiya said with a smile. Sakumo walked towards them with a puzzled expression on his face._

"_You haven't eaten anything yet, neh? You should try their Miso Soup. They serve it with fresh eggplants. It's the best." Jiraiiya said as Sakumo sat beside him. _

"_You know I don't like Miso Soup or eggplants. I just came here to find Cloud's owner. The villagers said she works here as a waitress." Sakumo responded as he settled Cloud on his lap._

"_Speaking of waitress… There's a waitress here. She's really gorgeous."Jiraiya snickered. He had a mischievous grin on his face as he slightly hit Sakumo's side with his elbow. Tsunade glared at Jiraiya and threatened to throw the menu at him._

_The man then approached their group. He held a notepad and pencil, ready to take Sakumo's order. Tsunade placed the menu down the table and sat properly. Her cheeks flushed crimson in embarrassment. Sakumo, upon noticing the man stand by his side, took Cloud in his arms and stood up. _

"_Good evening, Sir. I came here to look for Yoshida Kaede…" Sakumo said politely with a smile. The man tensed upon the mention of Kaede. _

"'_I'm Eito. I'm Kaede's father. Who are you and what do you need from her?" The man asked. He tried to maintain his calm tone, but he seemed really tensed. Sakumo maintained his warm smile as he wanted to take the situation peacefully._

"_I believe Cloud belongs to her. I just came to bring this back to her…" Sakumo replied, gesturing to the puppy in his arms._

_Eito's posture began to loosen as he looked at Cloud. He let out a sigh of relief. At one point he felt paranoid. He and his wife had been very protective of Kaede. He felt embarrassed for overreacting in front of Sakumo who seemed to have good intentions._

"_She had been looking for him for quite some time now. She had been very worried. Thank you for bringing him back. I'll just call her so she can take Cloud from you." Eito said before he left Sakumo and the other two to call his daughter._

_In a short while a girl of Sakumo's age went rushing in the teahouse. She wore an aqua blue dress that had violet seams and a slit by her left leg. Her long brown hair was tied in a loose braid. She had beautiful hazel brown eyes that captured Sakumo in an instant as he laid his onyx orbs at her. He froze from where he stood as he looked at her. He snapped out from his state when Cloud leaped from his arms and went to Kaede. The young girl gave her pet a hug._

"_Don't run off like that again, Cloud-kun. I was so worried about you."She said and the dog barked in response. Sakumo smiled. He was glad that Cloud's owner seemed to be a nice person. Though he wanted to keep Cloud and bring him to Konoha, he knew that that his real home was truly in the tea house, with the girl named Kaede. He was happy that he made the right decision._

_The girl then turned to Sakumo who had butterflies fluttering inside his stomach as she smiled at him. _

"_Thank you…" She said but her voice faded into silence. Her smile was also gone as her eyes travelled to the hitaiate on his forehead._

_Sakumo then started to feel uncomfortable. Her smile turned into a frown as she glared at him. He looked into her eyes and saw pure angst. He didn't understand. He gave Cloud back. He did something good, didn't he?_

"_Get out of here and leave us alone." She said. Her cheery voice became a bitter one._

"_Miss, I… Did I do something wrong?" He asked, the confusion was evident in his tone._

"_Take your friends and leave this place, before I make you…" She snapped harshly, before leaving Sakumo and his friends astonished. The other customers couldn't help but overhear_

"_Kaede, sweetheart, don't be rude to our customers…" A woman by the counter scolded, though her tone was still soft and somewhat worried. She then turned to Sakumo. She walked towards them with a sad look on her face._

"_Good evening, I'm Chiasa. I'm the one of the owners of the tea house. I'm also Kaede's mother. I'm sorry about my daughter's actions. It's been pretty rough for her. I hope you understand." She said as she wiped her hands on her pink apron._

"_It's okay, Ma'am. We'll be leaving soon. We don't want to cause any more trouble with your daughter. We're sorry for causing a commotion." Sakumo said as bowed politely. Tsunade and Jiraiya stood to leave after they placed their payment on the table._

* * *

_Sakumo felt really exhausted after his encounter with Kaede. He couldn't get her off of his head. He was confused at how he reacted. He tried to recall his actions and he couldn't remember doing anything that would trigger her anger. He couldn't help but feel upset. He expected good things to happen. He knew he did the right thing. He couldn't understand why Kaede would treat him so harshly. She didn't even know him._

"_I don't get it. I gave Cloud back to her. Why was she so angry with me?" Sakumo asked, voicing his thoughts out loud as he looked at the ceiling while he laid down on his bunk bed. _

"_The chick needs anger management." Jiraiya agreed. "It's a shame. She was a total babe."_

"_You heard her mom. She said the girl has some issues…" Tsunade said as she twisted and turned in her own bed._

"_Could you guys keep quiet? I'm trying to sleep here!" Orochimaru hissed irritably as he placed a pillow on his head to avoid hearing the other three's conversation._

_Jiraiya scowled at his teammate's moody action then closed his eyes to get some sleep. Tsunade simply sighed and muttered, "Good night you guys…" Sakumo kept silent as he stared at the ceiling, his thoughts drifted to the girl he saw earlier. He just couldn't stop thinking about her. He knew he had to rest, tomorrow was going to be a long day, but he seemed to have a hard time sleeping._

* * *

_Despite having trouble sleeping last night, Sakumo still woke up early. He decided to stop by Sato Teahouse to confront the girl. He didn't know why, but he knew he should talk to her._

_He hesitated for a while, but he entered the teashop, much to his surprise, Kaede wasn't there, but her parents were. Once they recognized him, they immediately attempted to send him away. Sakumo immediately raised his hands in surrender._

"_I don't want any trouble. I just came here to talk with your daughter." He said, there was a hint of desperation in his tone. The couple looked at him hesitantly. They knew the boy didn't mean any harm, but they wanted to protect Kaede. After what had happened to her, they knew that they had to look after her and understand her, even at times when she seemed unreasonable and complicated._

_Eito sighed. He gave his wife a look and it seemed as though she understood him. She nodded and they both brought Sakumo to a table so that they could all talk. Chiasa served Sakumo a bowl of Miso Soup. Sakumo wanted to refuse. He never liked eating Miso Soup, but he didn't want to seem rude. So he decided to try it._

"_I know you mean no harm, but we're just trying to protect her. Kaede-chan is just going through tough times. Please understand." Chiasa said as she watched Sakumo take a small sip of the Miso soup. For some reason, he seemed to change his mind about Miso Soup. He figured it didn't taste so bad after all._

"_I just wanted to know why she seemed so mad at me. I didn't do anything to anger her. I just want to talk to her.-Maybe… to understand her at least and settle things. I just find it uncomfortable that someone's angry with me. All I want to is to give us both inner peace, I guess…" Sakumo explained. Eito sighed in a troubled manner as he massaged his own temples._

"_Look, kid. It's pretty complicated." Eito said. "But if you're really a concerned citizen, I guess it would mean no harm if we tell you the truth. I don't know if telling you this would change anything, but I want to do what's best for Kaede and I'm hoping that you'll help us. You see, Kaede just lost her parents.-Her biological parents. Ninjas from Kirigakure raided their house and killed them. Kaede was kept hidden and survived. She was traumatized because of what happened. Right now, she's grieving for her loss. She's a good kid. She's just bitter about what happened. Last night, she was angry with you, but trust me, it wasn't personal. She's just mad at your kind. People like you. Shinobi."_

_Sakumo felt uneasy as he listened to Eito. He felt bad about what happened to Kaede. He understood what she felt, after all, he knew a lot about how violent and dangerous the life of a shinobi can be, but he wanted to show her that not all Shinobi are evil._

"_But… I'm not like them. Not all Shinobi are like those who killed her parents." Sakumo said._

"_We know that, dear, but it's hard to convince our daughter right now. She's still hurting." Chiasa explained._

"_I know it won't be easy… But I would like to try..." _

_Determination could be clearly seen in Sakumo's eyes as he spoke._

* * *

"You're mother seems to be pretty stubborn." Kurenai remarked and Kakashi chuckled.

"But Sakumo-kun was really persistent. It's something that we all shouldn't underestimate." Chiasa said giggling and she continued on with the story.

* * *

_Days passed and there was still no progress. Kaede was determined about hating Shinobi all her life. Sakumo wanted to give up, but he didn't want to lose to her. He wanted to prove her wrong and alter her perception on Shinobi. He won't leave the island until Kaede's mind is changed. _

_For almost two weeks, Sakumo had been visiting the Sato Teahouse consistently. He stayed there in the morning, afternoon in the evening, during his break. His friends were starting to worry about him, but he was really adamant and they couldn't do anything about it._

"_You're here again… Shinobi…" Kaede muttered as she rolled her eyes in annoyance. Sakumo took notice of how she said the word, 'Shinobi' with so much distaste, but he simply smiled._

"_Good morning to you too, Kaede-san. Lovely day, isn't it?" He said in his cheery tone. His smile growing wider with every second he looked at her wrinkled eyebrows as she glared at him. He couldn't help but become amused at her. She was a beautiful girl, so beautiful that she still looked cute even though she was awfully pissed._

_Kaede rolled her eyes once more."Nothing's lovely about this day. You've ruined it." She muttered under her breath as she walked away from him to attend to other customers. She happened to pass by her friend, Miyaka, who worked as a waitress in their shop._

"_He has been pretty consistent with his visits. He seems to be very interested in you, Kaede-chan. You know, I don't understand why you're so angry with him. He seems to be a nice guy. Plus, he's cute too." Miyaka squealed at the thought of Kaede and Sakumo together. She noticed how cute they would be if only Kaede gave Sakumo a chance. But of course, Sakumo had no intention of courting Kaede or anything beyond that. He just wanted to help her out, as a friend… Or so, he thought._

"_Don't even think about it." Kaede warned. "I will never become friends or whatever with anyone of the likes of him."_

"_Why not? He doesn't look scary or anything. If you ask me, he looks really adorable and innocent unlike his perverted friend." Miyaka asked curiously._

"_Looks can be deceiving, Miyaka. Deception. That's what Shinobi like him are good at." Kaede warned, but Miyaka just shrugged as she turned to focus on her job._

* * *

"_Hi Kaede! Did you sleep well last night?" Sakumo asked as he gave her his signature eye smile. Kaede didn't look at him as she wiped the tables with her wet rag._

"_I had nightmares last night, thanks to you, Shinobi…" She muttered bitterly. Ever since 'that incident' Kaede started having nightmares every time she sleeps. In the middle of the night she'd wake up in cold sweat, screaming for her parents who died after ninjas from Kirigakure raided her home. There were times when she saw Sakumo in her dreams, holding a kunai at her, threatening to stab her, but before he could even do so, she'd wake up, screaming. Kaede shuddered at the thought. She could remember the details of her dreams clearly._

"_Look. I don't know what you want or what you get from doing this, but I think I've made it clear that I'm not interested in you." Kaede suddenly snapped as she slammed her hands on the table._

"_I just want to be your friend, Kaede." Sakumo said. He had a sad look on his face that made Kaede feel almost guilty, but hatred took over her heart. _

"_You want to be friends with me? Well sorry to burst your bubble, but we can NEVER be friends. Get out! I never want to see you here, ever again." She reprimanded, but Sakumo stood still and didn't move a muscle. Kaede was so pissed she threw her rag at him and stormed off. It was a good thing that they didn't have much customers that time or else, it would cause quite a commotion._

_Sakumo followed her out and grabbed her hand which she shrugged off of his hold._

"_Just leave me alone! I don't want to have anything to do with you." She shouted furiously as she pushed him hard. He felt the impact of her hands on his chest, but he didn't stumble.-All thanks to years of training._

"_I just want to help you." Sakumo replied as he tried to maintain his calm tone. He didn't want to trigger more of her anger._

"_I don't need your help! I don't need any help from people of your kind." She scoffed bitterly._

"_Look, I didn't kill your parents. I'm not from Kirigakure. I'm trying to help you get that bitter feeling off of your chest!" Sakumo's tone rose. He couldn't control his feelings any longer. But he knew he shouldn't shout at her. Anger never solved anything. It only made things worse. He took a deep breath and tried to be calm again._

"_I want you to have inner peace. That's all I want… And if you'd let me… I'm willing to help." He said sincerely, but Kaede was still angry._

"_I don't care! To me, you're all the same! You shinobi are the reason why my parents are dead! You're the reason why there is no peace in this world!" She retorted. Tears started to fall from her eyes. She looked at him with so much anger. She pulled him by the collar so harshly, making him yelp in shock. "Look into my eyes and tell it to me straight. Tell me that you have never killed anybody."_

_Sakumo looked at her guiltily. He looked at the ground and shook his head. He knew he couldn't lie. He had lost count of how many people he had killed in battle. At such a young age, so much blood already stained his hands. He then wondered what kind of people were those that he killed. He wondered if they had a family who grieved for them, if they had a child like Kaede, who has become so bitter in life because of what he did. He felt awful._

"_You're being unfair, Kaede." He said as he looked into her hazel eyes. He had an uneasy feeling in his heart. He wanted to argue with her and tell her that she's wrong, but the more he tried, the more he realized that she was right. Sakumo felt bad about himself._

"_You shinobi… You're all horrible… You're monsters… And I will never forgive you…" She said as she wiped the tears in her eyes and left him astonished, hurt and confused._

* * *

_Sakumo sat by the beach with Tsunade and Jiraiya. Orochimaru was a bit anti-social and preferred to be left alone in the cottage as he read his books_

"_I've never felt so horrible about myself before…" Sakumo said as he looked at the stars in the sky._

"_This girl… You must really like her for her words to have quite an impact on you." Tsunade remarked._

"_I can't believe it. You're growing up, finally. You've started taking interest in women, now. You know, for a second, I thought you were gay, Sakumo…" Jiraiya said jokingly. Tsunade punched him hard and he yelped. Sakumo smiled sadly. He knew his friends were trying to cheer him up, but he still couldn't get his thoughts off of what Kaede said earlier._

"_I just… I think she's right. I've killed people too. I'm cruel and I'm no different from those who killed her parents…" Sakumo said sadly._

"_No, you're not. You've killed people to protect our people. That's a different story. You're a kind person, Sakumo…"Tsunade said but Sakumo still felt unconvinced. He sighed._

"_Maybe we should go inside and get some sleep…." Sakumo suggested, changing the topic. They all stood up to go back to their cottage, when they heard a scream, from not so far from them._

_Sakumo recognized the voice very well._

"_Kaede… She's in trouble. We have to help her!" He said and they came rushing to where she is. They found her being dragged by two men. She tried to fight but they were much too strong for her._

_Sakumo took his blade and started fighting. Tsunade and Jiraiya helped as well. When the two men felt cornered, they gave up. Sakumo pulled one man by the collar furiously._

"_Who sent you?!" He questioned as he pointed his sword at the man's chin. It was too dark at night, but he noticed the symbol on his forehead protector. It was similar to Kirigakure's symbol but it had a long horizontal line on it. It's as if it was scratched._

_The man chuckled manically as he looked at Sakumo with wicked eyes. Sakumo froze, but he held on tight and maintained his composure. He couldn't let his guard down, not when Kaede's life was in danger._

"_That girl you're protecting. She isn't from this island. She's no ordinary girl. Our master will get her at all costs." The man threatened._

"_Tell me who you're serving or I'll kill you." Sakumo threatened, but Tsunade stopped him and decided to take over she tied the man's hands and Jiraiya dealt with the other. They decided to take the two criminals to their sempai who had a higher position. They also had ANBU with them to help with getting intel. Tsunade and Jiraiya figured that Kaede didn't need to see more violence._

"_You take care of Kaede. We'll deal with these guys…" Jiraiya said and Sakumo nodded. _

"_Our master will take over the world someday, but don't worry… You might not be living anymore by the time that happens."The man said and Tsunade kicked him in the shin to shut him up. Sakumo's heart beat fast in his chest. He couldn't help but feel afraid. The man looked really insane, but he knew Kaede needed to be comfort. She must've been terrified._

_He found her on the ground hugging her knees, shivering and sobbing uncontrollably. He noticed that the sleeve of her clothing was ripped. He took his jacket off and wrapped it around her. She flinched as she felt his hand on her._

"_It's okay, Kaede. It's me, Sakumo. It's gonna be alright. I won't hurt you. Trust me." He said as he crouched down her. She looked up to him and let out a sigh of relief. For once she felt happy that he was there. She did the unthinkable as she leaped into his arms, tackling him in an embrace as she sobbed on his shoulder. Sakumo was taken by surprise, but he returned her hug. He had to admit. He loved the feeling of her warm body against his._

_He gently stoke her long brown hair as he tried to get her to stop crying and assure that she'll be alright. From then on, Kaede's perception about shinobi changed. She realized that Sakumo was a good person. She learned to trust him because of that incident and that was the start of their wonderful relationship._

* * *

"Their story, cute isn't it?" Chiasa squealed. "They were so lovely together, you know.-Just like you and Kakashi."

Kurenai blushed at the sudden remark. Kakashi smiled, he had to admit, he enjoyed taking part in the story telling. He was happy that Kurenai seemed to enjoy listening to his parents' love story as well.

"Oh love… It makes me feel so young…" Eito said as he looked at two before them. He figured, he needed to know of a new story.-A love story that he could tell his customers. He realized that maybe, they had started to get tired of hearing the same Sakumo and Kaede Love Story. So he invited the two to stay until dinner and they bribed Kakashi with his favorite dish.- The dish his mom loved cooking and the dish that his father learned to love. Miso Soup.

After dinner, Kakashi and Kurenai decided to back to their vacation house. Eito and Chiasa were a bit upset. Though the hours they spent together seemed long, to them, it wasn't enough for all those years that they hadn't seen Kakashi. The two, however promised that they'd visit them again to share more stories with them.

When the two arrived at the vacation house, Kakashi told Kurenai to take a shower. Kurenai was a bit hesitant when she remembered she had not decent nightwear to put on herself. She bit her lips and blushed furiously as she readied herself to tell Kakashi.

"Kakashi, do you by chance have any extra nightwear in this house that I could wear?" She asked. She could almost explode in embarrassment. She felt so foolish in front of her husband.

"Why? Didn't you bring your own?" He asked innocently.

"Well… It's a long story…" Kurenai replied, there was a hint of annoyance in her tone. Kakashi understood and decided to drop the subject. He had enough of back stories for the day and decided to look around the house. He remembered keeping some of his mom's old stuff. He told Kurenai to head to the shower and suggested that he'll just hand the nightwear to her once she's done.

Kakashi rummaged through some old stuff and in the process he found something that caught his attention pretty well. It was a piece of paper that had his father's name written on it. It's condition didn't look as good. It was already brown, had a lot of creases that showed that it had been crumpled then straightened as though the recipient attempted to rip it and throw it, but decided not to. It was ripped at the edges.

Kakashi unfolded the paper and realized that it was a letter addressed to his father. The ink was slightly smudged but it was still readable.

* * *

_To Sakumo,_

_ You might have known the truth, by the time you read this letter. It's probably useless for me to write to you, but I figured, I should anyway. You need to hear my side, at least. I think that, this is what you think is fair. _

_ Also, consider this as a letter of apology. I rarely do this, but I know this time, I need to do this for good…_

_ I know you hate me. You might not forgive me and I've accepted that I've lost a good friend for what I've done. I can't blame you for that. I deserve it. I deserve all your anger, all your hatred._

_ I couldn't save her. I had the chance, but I didn't and you have every right to be angry with me. I'm a horrible person. Driven by fear or maybe, even by selfishness._

_ I knew she was gonna do it. They threatened to kill you and Kakashi. Kaede didn't want you to get involved so she sacrificed herself to save you. I tried to talk her out of it and convince her that you'll come and solve the problem, but she still went on anyway and I didn't stop her. I could've, but I didn't._

_ She might have been stubborn, but I had all the means. I'm part of the Sannin. I had all the force to do so. She didn't even have the proper training to be shinobi._

_ I didn't stop her, Sakumo. You could ask me why, but I don't know the answer. I've asked myself a thousand times as well, but I just don't know…_

_ I didn't stop her and I regret it. Believe me, I do. I didn't want to lose her. I know you loved her. I loved her too. It was hard not to. I'm sorry._

_ -Orochimaru_

_P.S. I think I could figure out away to bring her back. I think this is the only thing I could do for you to compensate for what I've done. It wouldn't be easy, though and it could probably be wrong, but I'd do anything to see her again. I know you would too, but I know you always decided on what you think is right, but still, if you'd accept my proposal, meet me at my lab anytime you wish. You'll always find me there._

* * *

_**A.N. Hi Guys! Haha I'm back! Haha I'm sorry for taking so long. So far, this is the longest chapter I've done. (Fifteen pages and an estimate of 7000 words!) Naturally this wasn't supposed to be part of the story, but it suddenly popped in my head. I hope you liked it. And the plot twists in the end… Why Orochimaru? Do I think a snake like him could be capable of loving?-Yes. Haha. IDK I know many of us think that Orochimaru is insane and evil and all… But I think he had a tiny bit of kindness in his heart too. You'll find out more in the next chap. There's a part two to this Sakumo and Kaede Love Story.**_

_**And you might be wondering about the title of the chapter.- Why "Of Crops and Maple"?**_

_**That's because…**_

_**Sakumo was taken from the word "Sakumotsu" which means crops and Kaede is Japanese word for Maple. ^^ **_

_**With Love, **_

_**Kei-chan**_


	7. Of Things That Are Right

**Title: Beyond Rivalry  
****Chaprter 7: Of Things That Are Right  
****Pairing: KakaKure**

* * *

He kept his eyes on the words written in the decaying paper. He read it over and over again to look deeper into the letter and to grasp what the sender meant, but he had a hard time pondering about it. There were things his father told him that didn't match what was written in Orochimaru's letter.

'_Could it be that…' _Kakashi shrugged thoughts about his father lying to him off of his head. He knew his father wouldn't do that. Sakumo committed mistakes, but Kakashi refused to believe that he was a liar. If he were to doubt anyone, it should be Orochimaru who had committed a lot of crimes in their village and not his father who had always been so kind and selfless. He figured that he shouldn't let the letter affect him, but he couldn't get himself to stop thinking about it especially when he noticed a pad paper kept inside the box that held his parents' old stuff.

The pad paper had a lot of ripped pages, but there were some that were still intact. He found a page that had his father's handwriting in it. He noticed that there were only a few words written, but his dad decided to scratch them off with a pen giving Kakashi the idea that his father had second thoughts I writing down those words. He also noticed the damage that the scratches created on the paper, giving him notion that his father had frustrations in writing the words down. But despite Sakumo's attempts in erasing the words he had already written, the words were still visible in Kakashi's eyes. 

* * *

_Orochimaru,_

_ Do it. Use all means. I don't care. I just want her back. That's all I ever want.  
_

* * *

Kakashi felt uneasy as he read his father's words. He had always known Sakumo to be kind and selfless. He saw how his father would always decide on the right thing to do and always choose the honorable decision even if it was difficult. Sakumo valued his honor and his dignity and Kakashi knew that. Infact, he had to find out in the most painful way…

Never did Kakashi think that his father was ever tempted to be selfish and it was one of the things that he hated so much. Kakashi wished that at one point, Sakumo could have been selfish. That at one point he chose what he wanted instead of what was right.-And he wished that at that night Sakumo chose to commit suicide, he chose him, his son, instead of the village, instead of honor.

And there he was sitting at the ground looking through some papers that seem to tell him more about his father, as though he was seeing a different side about Sakumo, a side that's more imperfect, yet more human.

He noticed that at the bottom right of the paper there was a_ NO_ scribbled down, as if Sakumo wrote it for himself, to get himself to stop writing about his selfish desires, to stop himself from writing something he wanted but he felt was wrong.

Kakashi sighed. In the end, Sakumo knew how to avoid giving in to temptation. Somehow, he felt disappointed. He wondered what might have happened if his father chose to bring his mother back, what kind of life could they have had together and he thought that maybe, if his mother had been around, he didn't have to be alone and bitter at some point in his life…

He flipped to the next page and saw another letter written by his father. It was longer that the first one, but it was still unfinished. He wondered if his father ever had the chance to write back to Orochimaru or if they had to talk face to face instead. 

* * *

_To my pal, Orochimaru,_

_ I'd have to admit. There is a part of me that wants to blame you for her death. Kaede's death hurt me so painfully. It still does and I don't think the loneliness I feel without her would ever leave me. When she died, she left me lost inside a pitch-black world. I've always thought that as shinobi, I am already used to losing people who are important to me and that if I'd lose anyone else, I'd be prepared and it wouldn't hurt anymore. But when I lost her, it hurt so badly. I became so bitter and I'd give anything to blame anyone for her death._

_ Then you wrote to me. I finally found the opportunity to get what I want, or at least, what I thought I wanted, what I thought I needed to get over the bitter feeling in my heart.-To have someone to blame…_

_ But then I realized, it wasn't what I needed. It was wrong and revenge isn't the answer for me. Though I'd want to pour out all my anger, all my pain on someone, on anyone, it's not what I'm going to do. It's not what I should do. It's not the right thing to do, especially now that I have a son to raise._

_ Right now, I feel so lost. I don't know if I could raise Kakashi well, now that I don't have Kaede with me anymore. I don't know if I could ever give him the love that Kaede could have given him, but I have to try. I have to do my best to be a good father (and mother, I guess) to my child and I think I could do that if I'd start with doing what is right. I need to teach him what is right._

_ About bringing Kaede back, you know how I feel about that. You know I'd like to have her back, but I won't risk it. I know it's not what she wants. It's not what Kakashi and I need. It's not right.  
_

* * *

The letter was not even signed. Kakashi wondered if his father meant to end it that way or if there were more things left unsaid. He wondered about how his mother died and what could have happened if Sakumo agreed to Orochimaru's plan of bringing his mother back.

"Did you find anything for me to wear?" Kurenai asked, making her husband snap out from his reverie.

Kakashi then, turned his attention to his wife who wore her bathrobe. She gave him a worried looked as he seemed really disturbed. Kakashi stood up and handed her a pair of pajamas that he found along with his parents' other belongings.

"What's wrong?" Kurenai asked as she cupped her husband's cheeks. He gave her a remorseful look before he pulled her in an unexpected embrace. He breathed in her sweet scent which gave him comfort. Kurenai returned his embrace and ran her fingers through his spiky silver hair.

"Kakashi?" She asked, still puzzled with the way her husband was acting. Kakashi slowly pulled away from her. He looked at the ground and bit his lower lip. He let out a frustrated sigh and then looked her in the eye.

"I think my mother may have not died because of an illness." Kakashi said. Kurenai's eyebrows furrowed as he showed her the two letters that he had found.

"These letters say otherwise. There's something that father never told me about mother. I don't know why he would keep her cause of death a secret to me, but I have to find out the truth about her."

* * *

**_A.N. Hi guys! It took me too long to update and I gave you a short chapter this time. I have to admit. I was quite upset about not having any reviews after writing a lengthy chapter. For the 2 weeks that I haven't been updating, I kinda lost my drive to write a new chapter. I tried to write, but I wasn't feeling it that much. I didn't want to write something for the sake of just merely producing a chapter. I always think hard about my updates and I want to, as much as possible make something that came from my heart. I've also considered that the 6th Chapter might have been too long and too boring for you guys to read so I decided to make the 7th Chapter short._**

**_I have to be honest, I haven't been getting that much reviews lately and I'm bothered by it. It's making me think that no one's reading this story at all. (Except from Pattie, an anonymous user and my friend scorpiowarrior who has always been sending her comments.)_**

**_I really hope that there are still people reading this and I would like to thank all those who have been bothering to check this out, no matter how few you guys are._**

**_I love you all and sorry about this slightly bitter author's note that I'm guessing you guys don't read at all. Haha._**

**_With love,_**

**_Kei-chan_**


	8. Of Letting Go

**Title: Beyond Rivalry  
Chapter 8: Of Letting Go  
Pairing: KakaKure  
**

* * *

It was already past midnight, but the couple was still wide awake. Kurenai rushed to her husband who had just put on his coat over his black sleeveless undershirt and grey sweat pants. He was about to go outside when his wife caught up to him. He looked into her worried crimson orbs and sighed as he let go of the door knob. His lovely wife gently held his arm, making him calm down. Together, they sat on the sofa. She gingerly interlaced her fingers against his and gave his hands a light squeeze before she spoke,

"Calm down and don't engage into rash decisions, Kakashi."

After he found out about Sakumo and Orochimaru's letters, he went hysterical. Kakashi was usually calm. He always thought things through before doing any action, but at that moment, he was really overwhelmed. For thirty three years he believed that his mother died of an illness and all of a sudden he finds out that she sacrificed herself for him and his father. Though the information he got from the letters were still vague, there was one thing that he was sure of and it was that his mother was a strong woman who fought and died in order for him to live.

"I need to talk to Obaachan and Ojiichan. They should know the truth." Kakashi pressed. Kurenai sighed. Her husband had a knack of being persistent, but she had to convince him to be rational.

"Kakashi, I know you're upset right now, but you have to consider that it's already late for serious talks. Obaachan and Ojiichan are already old. They need more time to rest. Also, you have to calm down and ready yourself for what you're about to hear. Right now, you need to sleep and I promise, tomorrow morning we'll pay them a visit and find out the truth about your mother." Kurenai coaxed. Kakashi tried to avoid her gaze. He let out a deep breath as soon as he felt his cheeks warm up as tears threatened to form his eyes. He couldn't describe the pain that he was feeling. He felt terrible. It was like, he wanted to bring his father back from the dead and punch him in the face. He wanted to go back to Konoha and drag Orochimaru all the way to the island and bombard him with all the questions he had in his head. He felt like he was going to burst any minute. His feelings of confusion hurt and anger messed with his head and rationality. At that moment, it was only Kurenai who kept him sane.

Kurenai smiled sadly as she gently cupped her husband's cheek and made him look into her eyes. She noticed how hard he was holding back from bursting into tears. His onyx eyes were getting a bit shiny and watery.

She had known him for so long and through all those years she saw a strong shinobi who never let his emotions interfere with his missions. She couldn't remember seeing him cry despite all the pain he had been through. Through all the years that they had been together, he had always been the shoulder for her to cry on. For so long he had repressed his emotions that Kurenai almost forgot that he felt. She almost forgot that he was also human. The mask worked so well on him that she forgot that he can also be fragile and that he was also a man capable of falling…

And there he was in front of her, on the verge of breaking, but still choosing not to. Kakashi loved Kurenai so much. He trusted her, but he didn't want to show her any weakness. It was the pride of a shinobi, the pride of a man that repressed him. He shouldn't be weak. He should be the one taking care of her, not the other way around. In a way, he felt ashamed about being fragile, but Kurenai didn't mind it at all. She pulled him into an embrace and let him rest his head on her shoulder and it was then that he failed to control his feelings. Tears fell from his eyes and soaked Kurenai's shirt. As good as he was at masking his emotions; one simple gesture of love changed him. All of a sudden, he felt like he couldn't hold back anymore. He felt like there was no need to hold back his emotions anymore and he felt so foolish about trying to mask his emotions in front of his wife, about trying to act strong all the time. He realized it was time to let go. It was time to cry for once and be imperfectly human. This time, he wasn't shinobi, he wasn't the Sixth Hokage. He was a man who felt sadness for so long.

"It's okay to cry sometimes, Kakashi." Kurenai said as she felt him tremble against her as he sobbed quietly. She gently patted his back as she let him release all the hurt and pain that he had been keeping for so long. This time, she wanted to be the one to raise him up and take care of him. She wanted to be the shoulder for him to cry on.

It took a while for Kakashi to pull away from his wife. He let out a remorseful chuckle as he wiped his tears with his sleeve. He felt pathetic in a way. But he felt some sort of relief, like he had just let go of something heavy that he has been carrying all along. He had to admit. It felt good to cry once in a while.

* * *

Kakashi woke up to a terrible headache. After lacking sleep, thinking and crying all night he got up feeling awfully heavy. He didn't feel really good but he knew he had to visit his grandparents as soon as possible to get things over with. He couldn't rest until he finds out about the truth.

'_I feel like shit. Damn it.' _He thought to himself as he sat on his bed. He was so tired to realize he empty space on his bed that Kurenai left. He dragged himself out of his room to find his wife working in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for the two of them.

During breakfast, Kakashi didn't have the appetite to eat. Kurenai felt worried about him. She tried to get him to eat but he merely took two or three bites of the pancakes she made.

After breakfast, Kakashi immediately insisted to go to his grandparents' place. After they had changed into their outdoor clothes, they went straight to visit Eito and Chiasa Sato.

As soon as Kakashi and Kurenai entered the teashop, Eito and Chiasa both sensed that there was something off about Kakashi. They were able to confir that their notion was right as soon as Kakashi approached them and showed them the letters written by Orochimaru and Sakumo.

The elderly couple looked at each other upon seeing the letter. Chiasa gave her husband a nod as though he had just communicated with her without even uttering a single word. She gave Kakashi a worried look then turned to her husband and gave him the questioning look as if she was trying to ask her husband if he was sure about what they're about to do or if it's already the right time to tell Kakashi something that has been kept to him for so many years.

Eito gave his wife a light pat on the shoulder, assuring her that everything will be okay before he turned to his puzzled grandson. He could see the worry in Kakashi's eyes. He also noticed how stressed his grandson looked like. He turned paler than he already was and there were dark circles under his eyes, making it evident that he hadn't had much sleep last night. Eito could only sigh. It seemed that his grandson isn't taking things very well.

"You and I need to have a heart to heart talk, kid…" Eito said as he placed his arm around Kakashi's shoulder. Kakashi gulped in anxiety. He was afraid about what he was about to here, but he tried to calm his nerves. He had to take whatever he was about to find out like a man.

"Chiasa, Kakashi and I are going to have a walk for a while." Eito informed his wife who simply nodded as she crossed her fingers and kept her hands behind her, hoping that the two will be alright. Eito then turned to Kurenai and spoke, "I hope you don't mind if I borrow Kakashi for a while."

Kurenai gave Eito a warm smile. She gave her husband a light squeeze on the hand, to assure him that things will turn out fine.

"I don't mind, Ojiichan. I'll just stay here and help Obaachan." Kurenai replied before she watched the two men walk out of the teahouse.

* * *

Kakashi and Eito walked along the sand of the beach. Kakashi kept his sweaty hands in his pockets. He didn't know how to start the conversation with him. He had so many things in his mind but he couldn't figure out how he could put them into words. Eito, being his grandfather could sense the hesitation and discomfort in him.

"Ask me anything you wish to ask." Eito said, breaking the awkward silence between them.

"What happened to mother? She didn't really die because she was sick, right?" Kakashi asked. He looked at the ground as he walked by his grandfather's side.

"Your mother didn't die from an illness, Kakashi. She died a hero. She was a strong, admirable woman." Eito replied remorsefully. Kakashi stopped on his tracks as he was tongue-tied. His mind went blank as he tried to process the fact that he had been lied to by his family for thirty three years. He wanted to burst. He wanted to scream and cry and take his anger on anyone, but he knew he couldn't do that to an old man who had loved him like family. He took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. He knew he had to be rational and that he had to do what he had always been doing, what he had mastered pretty well… Controlling his emotions.

"I assume that there is a reasonable explanation as to why you guys have kept this from me for thirty years." Kakashi said in his usual calm tone, but Eito could feel the hint of bitterness in his tone as he spoke.

"Your father wanted to protect you. He thought it was the best solution." Eito began. Kakashi rolled his eyes in annoyance. He couldn't help but feel angry with his father.

'_That's bullshit.' _Kakashi thought bitterly.

"And I guess committing _seppuku _and leaving his then five year old son was also the best solution he could think of." Kakashi said sarcastically. All of the bitter thoughts he had in the past were coming back. Though he had sworn that he already had forgiven his father, the pain in his heart was still taking so much time to heal. It was as though the wound that he had in his heart was cut open again when he found out that his father lied to him about his mother.

Eito let out a sad sigh. He understood where Kakashi was coming from. He knew that life had always been so hard for his grandson, just like how hard it was for his daughter, but he couldn't tolerate him bearing anger against Sakumo.

"Kakashi, your father loved you." Eito said. Kakashi scoffed. The old man had just pulled out the 'Your father loved you' card again. He hated it when his grandfather does that. It had so much effect on him. His anger started to subside at the thought that his father truly loved him, though his way of showing it hurt him so much.

"He just didn't want to lose you as well. Also, he promised your mother that he'll protect you at all costs. You see Kakashi, your mother possessed such great power and bad people were after what she had. They wanted to use her for their selfish and evil plans."

"What do you mean? I thought mother didn't have the proper training to be shinobi? Or perhaps, you guys lied to me about this too?" Kakashi asked sarcastically. Eito let out a chuckle before he looked at him with a serious expression.

"It's true that your mother didn't train to be shinobi and that was also for protection. It was in order to conceal her identity." Eito explained. "Your mother wasn't from this island, Kakashi. She and her biological parents moved here from a small land, from their real home which was left in the ruins after an attack. Through the years she had lived, she tried to live like a normal girl, but that wasn't who she was. Kaede-chan belonged to a powerful clan in Uzushiogakure. The Yoshida Clan, though not as well known and dominant as the Uzumaki were as powerful as well and had great mastery Fuinjutsu."

* * *

_**A.N. Hehe So how do you guys feel about that revelation? Haha Anyway, I'm sorry about that bitter author's note last time. Just don't mind me when I'm acting as bitter as Sasuke. XD Haha. It's just 'those days.' Anyway, I hope you liked this update. And about Kakashi crying, I hope I didn't make him OOC. I just figured that Kakashi needs a release sometimes. I mean, he's human too.**_

_**With Love,**_

_**Kei-chan**_


	9. Of A Love That's Hers

**Title: Beyond Rivalry  
Chapter 9: Of A Love That's Hers  
Pairing: Kakashi X Kurenai**

* * *

Kakashi stood still as the summer breeze blew past him. His feet stayed glued on the sand as his mind went blank. He focused his attention on his grandfather who had just spilled the truth to him. Eito waited for an outburst, any reaction from his grandson, but Kakashi didn't respond. He was too tongue-tied to speak. He didn't know where to start. He didn't know what to feel.

Eito understood how the sudden information that he had brought up to his grandson was too much to process. He placed an arm around Kakashi and urged him to walk with him once more. They stayed silent until they ended up in an old, small, dusty cottage Kakashi had never seen before. He had a puzzled look on his face as he turned to his grandfather, asking him if it was okay to enter the premises. The old man gave him a genuine smile and nodded as he pushed the door open. The door let out a creaky sound as soon as it was moved. Kakashi shivered upon stepping in the cottage. For some reason, the place gave him an eerie yet nostalgic feeling. He hesitated to go in at first, but his grandfather insisted him to come in, saying that he had something to show him.

The old man then bent to lift a small dusty, rectangular box. He coughed as he blew the dust surrounding it. He opened the box, revealing a neatly folded, red, piece of cloth that had a spiral symbol sewn onto it.

"That's… That's the symbol of Uzushiogakure." Kakashi said, noticing the symbol very well, since shinobi from Konoha have been wearing it in their uniforms as a symbol of friendship. Kakashi gingerly ran his fingers through the soft piece of cloth.

"We kept it along with her other belongings that we thought would be important when this day comes. Sakumo wanted to dispose it at first, for our family's protection, but we convinced him not to. We just couldn't let go of things that reminded us about Kaede." Eito said. Kakashi kept his eyes glued on the red cloth. He thought about his mother and how hard her life could've been, running away from enemies, losing her real home and leaving her identity behind to be safe. He hated the fact that his father, in a way denied her.

"Kakashi, don't get mad at your father. He loved her so much. He loved both of you. You… You know that, right?" Eito reminded. He noticed how Kakashi grip on the piece of cloth had tightened. He knew that his grandson was angry. But he couldn't let him become angry at a man who had only meant well in his life.

Kakashi let out a sigh. He knew in his heart, still that his father was a good man. He may not be perfect, but he remained a good man, always deciding on things he felt were right. Kakashi hated the feeling he had in his heart. He hated how he could never get mad at his father no matter what happens. He felt that there were so many reasons to stay angry with him; yet, there were also a lot of reasons to keep on loving him. He loved his father and he couldn't deny that even if he felt so betrayed.

"Sakumo-kun went after her, you know." Eito spoke as he sat beside Kakashi, on the dusty floor of the cottage. "But when he came, he was too late."

Kakashi had a lot of "What ifs" in his head. Though he knew that it was already late for things like that, he couldn't help but think about what could've happened if his mother lived, if Orochimaru could've stalled her much longer, or if his father came right on time.

All of a sudden, the anger came back, consuming every fiber of his being. He hated it. He hated how he was feeling. He knew that his heart had no room for more sadness. He didn't want to go back to his past and become the same old bitter Kakashi. His life had no room for more mistakes and more regret, not when he was on his way to start his own family.

"He was so heartbroken, you know?" Eito continued as he looked at his grandson who tried to keep a calm expression despite the fact that deep down, he was on the verge of bursting. "It was the first time I have ever seen him so crestfallen. It was the only time I saw him cry."

* * *

_It was in the middle of the night. Eito and Chiasa were already fast asleep when they heard a loud knock on their door. Despite how groggy and exhausted the two felt, they immediately got up from their slumber and rushed to the door to find out who the hell was banging at their door. _

_Eito was about to burst in annoyance when he opened the door, but was left speechless and shocked when he found his son-in-law by his door. His son-in-law had a desperate look in his face. He held a small bundle in his arms which turned out to be Kakashi who was wrapped in a blue blanket, peacefully sleeping in his father's arms._

"_Sakumo-kun, what are you doing here at this hour?" Chiasa asked. She was shocked when he immediately, yet gently placed the baby in her arms._

"_I don't have much time to explain, but Kaede's in trouble. Take care of Kakashi and make sure he's safe. If anything happens to me… to us…" Sakumo's voice faded into silence as he looked at t he couple who simply nodded, but looked at him worriedly. Before they could ask further questions, Sakumo left with his other comrades to search for Kaede._

* * *

_Sakumo and the others came to Kaede's aid. It turns out that the battle that had happened wasn't too far from the beach. He looked at the man who had tried to capture Kaede. His eyes were as crimson as blood and had a unique pattern. It was easy for him to tell that he came from the Uchiha clan._

_Though it wasn't the fact that they were sharingan that made him shrudder, it was the coldness and darkness that radiated from his eyes that made Sakumo so hesitant and in a way, afraid. He had battled many enemies, men who wore the cold and emotionless expression that shinobi often do, but no one compared to the man before him. The man showed pure evil. His aura was the most frightening out of all those that Sakumo had encountered._

_The man panted heavily. He had some serious cuts and bruises. He had his hand on an injured, bloody part on his torso, trying to stop the blood from flowing. It seemed as though Kaede had done some damage. Sakumo also noticed that there was something wrong with his hands. They moved stiffly like they have been turned to stone. The man let out a painful groan as he tried to move._

_Sakumo almost let out a sigh of relief, until he saw the damage that the man had done to Kaede. The White Fang of Konohagakure rushed to his wife, panic stricken as soon as he saw the amount of blood that has stained his wife who had fallen to the ground. He gently held her in his arms. He looked at her with so much worry in his eyes, afraid that he could lose her any moment. Despite the pain she felt, she looked back at him and struggled to give him a smile. With so much effort she reached down to cup her husband's cheek. _

"_I'm fine…" She coughed out. Sakumo was sure she was far from fine. He turned to the Uchiha, the evil man who hurt his wife. He glared at him. He was determined to finish him. The man looked back at him and laughed manically. _

"_If I were you I'd spend my last moments with her. She hasn't got much time, you know." The man remarked. Sakumo felt so agitated that he wanted to reach for his white chakra blade and slice the man into pieces, but he had other priorities. His wife's life is in the line. _

_The man then disappeared and Sakumo let him. Though he didn't want to, he had other things to think about. He had to save his wife first._

* * *

_Sakumo tried to hold back the tears as he held the almost lifeless form of his wife in his arms. He tried to stay calm, just like any shinobi should. He had to save her. Panic rushed to him as he felt cold dark blood stain his shirt. His wife grew colder with every second that passed. Tsunade, Jiraiya and Orochimaru crouched next to him. Green chakra glowed from Tsunade's hands as she tried her best to save her friend. Her energy was almost drained and her chakra level was decreasing, but she proceeded on healing Sakumo's severely wounded wife. She looked at Sakumo and she knew she can't give up. She knew what it was like to lose a loved one. Tears formed her eyes as she pushed herself even more.  
_

"_Come on, Kaede. Fight." She sobbed. "You have to live."_

_Kaede responded, giving Tsunade's hand a light pat, urging her to stop performing the medical jutsu._

_"This is it for me…" She whispered._

"_You're not gonna die on me, Kaede!" Sakumo scolded. This time, he failed to hold back his feelings. Kaede brought her hand up to brush her husband's tears._

"_I'm sorry, Sakumo. I know you're afraid, but I can feel it… I'm done…" She confessed. Sakumo cried harder. He felt his heart break with every moment that passed that he looked at her state. He was about to lose her and he couldn't take it lightly. _

"_Stay with me. Please." He begged as he held her closer to him. "Kakashi needs you. I need you…"_

_Kaede looked at him remorsefully. She wished that she could spend more time with her family. She regretted not being able to live long enough to be Sakumo's wife and Kakashi's mother._

"_It's my fault. I only I had come sooner… I'm a failure. I have saved thousands of people, but I couldn't save the woman I love…" He said._

"_It's not your fault. Don't ever blame yourself for the decisions that I make." Kaede uttered, in a tone almost inaudible for Sakumo and the others to hear. She struggle to speak because she was in pain, but she couldn't let herself die leaving some words left unsaid. "I don't have much time left so, listen carefully. You have given me the best few years of my life and for that, I will be eternally grateful. I love you and always remember that. I'm sorry if I wouldn't live long enough to be with you to see Kakashi grow up, but I am at peace because I know that you'll be with him in my place. You'll be a good father. I know it."_

"_Don't leave me. Please." He begged for the impossible. Kaede gave him a sad smile._

"_I won't be leaving you forever, Sakumo. We won't be seeing each other for quite some time, but know that we'll meet again someday. So rather than saying good bye, I'd like to say, see you later. Promise me that you'll remember all the things I've told you and that you'll keep reminding Kakashi of how much Iove him."_

_Sakumo hesitated to respond at first, but he knew he was losing him. He choked out an "I will." And sobbed hard. Kaede used her last bit of energy to take out something from her pocket. They were pieces of paper which she handed out to Tsunade. It turns out that the papers she handed her friend where letters for each one of them, for her family and friends. She struggled to give Sakumo one last kiss on the cheek before she said, "See you later…" and drifted to an eternal slumber._

* * *

_Chiasa held a sleeping toddler in her arms as she and Eito rushed to Sakumo who walked towards them, holding a lifeless Kaede in his arms. The Sannin looked at them apologetically. Chiasa looked at her son-in-law, searching his eyes for answers. He looked at her sadly and then turned to the cold corpse of his wife that he held protectively in his arm._

_Eito shook his head as he stroke his daughter's cold cheek. He thought that she looked like she was only sleeping. She seemed like a fragile girl, but she was actually a strong woman, going through a tough battle. Tears fell from his eyes. He had lost his only child._

_Chiasa cried as she held her grandson who soon woke up and started to cry as well. She tried to calm the toddler down, but she couldn't calm down herself. She wondered if Kakashi only cried because he was disturbed in his sleep or if he, in a way, understood that he had lost his mom._

* * *

_Kaede's friends and family performed a Tear Drop Island traditional burial for her that night. Jiraiya and Orochimaru made bamboo raft which Tsunade decorated with flowers. Chiasa and Eito both cleaned Kaede's cuts and dressed her in a white dress. Sakumo gently carried his wife and gently placed her on the raft. Tsunade braided flowers into her hair and gave her cold pale hand a gentle squeeze. Jiraiya gave Tsunade a light pat on the back. _

"_It sucks to lose a friend like her…"Jiraiya remarked. Tsunade then sobbed into his shoulder. He tensed for a while but didn't refuse to give her a comforting hug._

_Orochimaru on the other hand, tried to stand still and become in control with his emotions. He looked at Kaede and bent as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He sighed at the heart-breaking sight. He had lost another good friend, a woman he loved. She was probably the only woman he could ever love. He didn't mind losing her to Sakumo. It hurt, but it was much better than losing her forever. He figured, losing Kaede hurt like hell._

_Sakumo held little Kakashi in his arms. He ruffled the toddler's silver hair as soon as he noticed the confused look on his face. He made his son rest his head against his shoulder. He embraced him dearly, thinking that he needed a hug to calm him down._

"_It's time to say 'see you later' to your mother…" He whispered to his child. Sakumo gave his wife one last kiss. Kakashi, who was oblivious to what was happening simply looked at the 'sleeping' woman before him. He was too young to comprehend things, but he recognized the woman who laid on the raft. It was the beautiful woman who sang lullabies to him at night. The one who'd give him light kisses and make him laugh and smile. He looked at his father with an innocent, puzzled expression. Sakumo gently held Kakashi and brought him closer to Kaede, urging him to give her a kiss and the he did. His tiny hands caressed his mother's face. He took one last look at his mother before he returned to his father's embrace._

_Chiasa and Eito took a few moments to say good bye to Kaede. Her death was all too much for them to process. They fixed the raft and made sure everything was sturdy and set for the funeral._

"_I'll miss her." Chiasa sobbed into her husband's shoulder. _

"_I'll miss her too, but this is it…" Eito replied. _

_Sakumo hesitantly pushed the raft into the ocean. He watched carefully as it floated to the shore, carrying his wife's remains into an endless journey across the pacific._

* * *

"Your father told us that the man who killed your mother was from the Uchiha Clan. Your father suspected him to be Madara, but he never really got to confirm it. The man wanted to use Kaede-chan's power, but she fought him and sealed his hands for a while… The jutsu that she performed caused her her own life." Eito said. Kakashi nodded, being able to understand through linking information together. Being a shinobi, once part of the ANBU Black Ops and working for the Intel Division helped him sharpen his instincts and skills in investigation.

"He could have been right. Mother came from a village known to be a home for those who have expertise in Fuinjutsu. For years, Madara wanted to take control of the nine Bijuu to awaken the Jubi and he got hold of it with Obito's help during the last war. Back in the days, he might have thought he could control it if he used Mother, but she wouldn't go down without a fight." Kakashi concluded. Eito took a piece of paper from the box that contained the red cloth that had the symbol of Uzushiogakure.

"This is the letter that your mother wrote for your father before she took on Madara. I was thinking, this could help you further understand the truth." Eito said as he handed the piece of paper to Kakashi.

Kakashi gingerly traced his mother's legible handwriting with his fingers. He took one moment to observe the piece of paper in his hands. He felt as though he was getting to know his mother through observing how delicately she wrote the Japanese Characters on the piece of paper. For some reason, he could imagine how graceful she was, how delicate and meticulous she was with doing things she needed to do. He smiled. He remembered when his father complimented him about how legible his hand writing was, back when he was still a child, studying in the academy.

"_Your handwriting is impressive.-Very neat and legible, like your mother's." _His father's words rang in his ears. He couldn't help but feel happy about knowing in his heart that he and his mother had something they both share.

He tried to recall his mother's voice as he read the letter. He'd only heard it a few times; back when he was a toddler. Bits of memories about her came to his mind, mostly vague. He remembered her voice in the video that Tsunade showed him during his and Kurenai's wedding.

* * *

_Dearest Sakumo,_

_ I could understand if you feel betrayed about what I did, keeping a secret from you and making decisions on my own. I can't blame you for being upset with me for going out to fight a dangerous opponent on my own, but I want you to know that I chose to do it not out of selfishness, but out of my love for Konohagakure and of course, most especially out of my love for you and Kakashi. Please know that I did not do it because I was a brave woman, but because I was afraid to lose you and Kakashi. I was afraid to lose more people I loved. I also figured, it was time that I fight my own battles. I now understand what my parents did when they died to keep me safe. I now understand what they felt and why they sacrificed their lives to protect me, for them to give up their life so that I could live…_

_ I want to thank you for everything.-For giving me the best moments of my life. You were the person who changed me and took all the bitter feelings I had kept in my heart ever since I lost my parents. You showed me how blessed I am. You opened my eyes and made me see that the world is still a place worth fighting for and the life we have is still worth living. You loved me. You gave me a family. You have given me everything that I have ever wanted and needed and for that I will be eternally grateful._

_ I'm sorry, for leaving you on your own. I'm sorry if I won't be there to help you with Kakashi, anymore. It will always be my deepest regret.-Not growing old with you and watch Kakashi grow up to be a fine young man. I won't be there to help you raise him, but I will always watch over the two of you._

_ Kakashi.-I know he is destined for greater things. So, watch over him and guide him with every step. Train him well so that he can grow and develop his skills, but most importantly teach him to be good man. Knowledge and talents are best with kindness in one's heart. I guess you know that already, since that is your gift. That is what I saw in you. That is what made me love you._

_ Always remind him that I love him. If you could remind him every day, every hour, every minute or second, please do so. Also, tell Kakashi that he can be whatever he wants to be. Let him find his own path. Tell him that he doesn't have to be pressured to be the best of the best. _

_ He doesn't have to be the best shinobi for me to become proud. All I could ever want for him is to become a good man... A good man like his father…_

_ I know that you doubt yourself in raising him, but I believe that you'll be an excellent father to our son. _

_ My dearest Sakumo, please know that this isn't good bye. We will see each other again someday, but not too soon because you still have to stay and watch Kakashi grow up._

_ Always remember that I will love you forever. I'll see you later._

_Love,  
Kaede_

* * *

**A.N. Hi everyone! Sorry for the late update. I had a lot going on in my head and I had to sort things out. I hope you liked the flashbacks and I hope you guys liked the letter.**

**About Kaede and Oro, I know that part was a little vague, so I'm thinking about clarifying it in the next chapter. I'm also thinking about writing some chapters about Yamato and Yugao, since this story is about them as well and I feel that KakaKure has already dominated this fic, so I need to take a break from KakaKure and put YugaYama in the picture. Haha.**

**About Kenji and Yumiko, they'll be coming soon, but of course I have to establish the parents' story first. Hahaha. Please be patient about the babies. The couples need to enjoy their time together haha… **

**I hope that you guys liked this update and feel free to tell me what you think about it.**

**With love,**

**Kei-chan**


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